Grando Scores Twice as Icemen Bounce Swamp Rabbits 4-1

Written by Jasen Mata

Final Score: [Jacksonville Icemen] [4] - [1] [Greenville Swamp Rabbits] 
When: Wednesday, November 30, 2024 @ 7:00 P.M. EST
Where: [VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena] – [Jacksonville, Florida] 

Game Summary by Period 

1st Period: The first time these two teams met; it was all Swamp Rabbits early on. Saturday’s game would be Jacksonville’s opportunity to return the favor. They did exactly that as this game would start all Icemen. As soon as the puck dropped, Jacksonville looked hungry and ready to play. Just two minutes into the first period Brody Crane would get the Icemen on the board with their first goal. On the other hand, Greenville greatly struggled to keep possession of the puck all period.

As a result, the Icemen would score again as Chris Grando scored with help from a ridiculous pass from Garrett Van Wyhe. This would give Grando his second goal of the season as he helped push Jacksonville up 2-0 early on. The rest of the period was very physical on both sides, as multiple scraps would break out. Overall it was all Icemen as they would finish the first period with 15 SOG while the Swamp Rabbits only had 5 SOG.

Period Scoring Summary: 

End of 1^st Period Score: [Jacksonville Icemen] [2] – [0] [Greenville Swamp Rabbits]

JAX: [Brody Crane] (Assist : [Zach Jordan, Noah Laaouan]) – [1:58]

JAX: [Chris Grando] (Assist : [Garrett Van Wyhe, Peter Tischke]) – [6:06]

GV: Did Not Score

2nd Period: Going into the second, Jacksonville looked to keep its foot on the gas as most of the second period saw back and forth between Greenville and Jacksonville. Both sides remained very physical, and the energy was high Saturday night. Matt Vernon had a fantastic period in front of the goal for the Icemen, as the Swamp Rabbits were once again unable to score on Jacksonville. The Icemen showcased fluid passing and excellent defense as they held strong during a Penalty Kill after Brody Crane and Justin McRae were both called for holding. 

Greenville was simply unable to maintain the puck long enough to set up any kind of offense. Jacksonville did a fantastic job making the Rabbits uncomfortable by intercepting pass after pass. It wasn’t long before Jacksonville would score their third goal of the night. Chris Grando slapped in a sharp-angled crossbar shot. This would be Grando’s second goal of the night and his third on the season as his strong performance continued. The Icemen would end the period up 3-0 over the Greenville Swamp Rabbits.

Period Scoring Summary:

End of Period Score: [Jacksonville Icemen] [3] – [0] [Greenville Swamp Rabbits]

JAX: [Chris Grando] (Assist: [Connor Russell, Garrett Van Wyhe]) – [12:40]

GV: Did Not Score

3rd Period: Greenville continued to have trouble in the final period. Any attempt to score or even pass the puck was ultimately thwarted by the Icemen's defense. Greenville opted for a sixth skater towards the end of the period. Olivier Nadeau took advantage of the empty net and scored the fourth Icemen goal of the night. Tonight it seemed that time after time Matt Vernon made ridiculous save after ridiculous save. Vernon played near perfect tonight but would eventually give up a goal to Mikael Robidoux. In the end, Jacksonville would triumph over Greenville 4-1.

Period Scoring Summary: 

End of Period Score: [Jacksonville Icemen] [4] – [1] [Greenville Swamp Rabbits]

JAX: [Olivier Nadeau] – [16:44]

GV: [Mikael Robidoux] (Assist: [Parker Berge, Ben Poisson]) – [18:22]

Tonight’s Team Stats:

• Shots on Goal
  Jacksonville Icemen: 29
  Greenville Swamp Rabbits: 30
• Shots Percentage
  Jacksonville Icemen: 14%
  Greenville Swamp Rabbits: 3%
• Power Plays
  Jacksonville Icemen: 4
  Greenville Swamp Rabbits 5
• Penalty Minutes
  Jacksonville Icemen: 14
  Greenville Swamp Rabbits: 10
• Saves
  Jacksonville Icemen: 29
  Greenville Swamp Rabbits: 25
• Save Percentage
  Jacksonville Icemen: 97%
  Greenville Swamp Rabbits: 86%

Stars of The Night:

1. [Matt Vernon] – [Jacksonville Icemen]:[Saves (29) on (30) Shots Faced]
2. [Chris Grando] – [Jacksonville Icemen [Goals (2)]
3. [Garrett Van Wyhe] – [Jacksonville Icemen]:[Goals (0), Assists (2)]

Tonight’s Recap:

The Greenville Swamp Rabbits came to town against the Jacksonville Icemen. The last time these two teams met, Greenville embarrassed the Icemen 5-0. This time Jacksonville came out with an obvious chip on their shoulder. Right from the get-go, Jacksonville put the pedal to the metal. Within the first 6 minutes, the Icemen scored two goals against the Rabbits. Greenville looked shaky on all sides tonight. They simply failed to kickstart any kind of momentum. Matt Vernon played another excellent game and only gave up 1 goal on 30 shots faced. The combination of a Matt Vernon masterclass, wild Greenville passing, and no offensive rhythm from the Swamp Rabbits led to a 4-1 Icemen win.