Written by Jake WheelerJACKSONVILLE, FL- Alex Ierullo kept his hot streak going as the Greenville Swamp Rabbits defeated the Jacksonville Lizard Kings 5-2.
The Lizard Kings got off to a good start in the first period as they had the momentum from being on home ice. They had a lot of the early offensive zone pressure and generated a few chances right off the start.
The Lizard Kings had the first powerplay of the game, however, it was a short one as they took a penalty which put the game to 4-on-4. Each team utilized the extra time and space by having a back and forth few minutes, but nobody could score on special teams. After 20 minutes of play, the game remains scoreless as Jacksonville leads in shots on goal 9-5.
The Lizard Kings got off to a decent start in the second frame, however, a few minutes in the Swamp Rabbits would strike first, as former Icemen Tanner Eberle got a pass in the slot and buried it.
Moments later, the Lizard Kings went to the powerplay and were able to tie up the game as Christopher Brown scored on a wrist shot from the right faceoff dot.
Late in the period, Greenville added another goal as Carter Souch redirected a Max Martin point shot to regain the lead. A minute later, the Swamp Rabbits Alex Ierullo scored on a cross crease pass for a two-goal Greenville lead. After 40 minutes of play, Jacksonville trailed 3-1.
The Swamp Rabbits started the third period on the powerplay, and Josh McKechney scored on a redirect from the slot to make it a three-goal game.
This frame saw additional 4-on-4 play, but again neither team could capitalize.
Halfway through the period, the Lizard Kings went to the powerplay, and Zach Jordan scored on a wrist shot from the slot to cut their deficit to two goals.
However, it would be too little too late for Jacksonville, as the Swamp Rabbits got an empty net goal from Ethan Somoza to cap off the night and secure the win for them. The Lizard Kings fell 5-2 while leading in shots on goal 27-25.
The Lizard Kings host the Swamp Rabbits on Saturday, January 7th at 1pm.
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