JACKSONVILLE, FL – In a Friday night contest filled with fights, hits, and great chances and saves, the Jacksonville Icemen (3-5-3) fell to the Greenville Swamp Rabbits (10-1-2) by a score of 3-0 at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena. Icemen goaltender Chase Wutzke made 34 saves on 36 shots faced.
Jacksonville will look to rally on Saturday evening as they host the Savannah Ghost Pirates at 7:00 pm at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena.
FIRST PERIOD
Aided by several newcomers from the AHL and from the injured reserve, the Icemen skated strong in the opening period, earning nine quality scoring chances. Jacksonville moved the puck well and defended well but were unable to find the back of the net as Jacksonville and Greenville skated to a scoreless tie after the first 20 minutes.
SECOND PERIOD
Jacksonville entered the second period with momentum and earned a five-on-three power play. Despite some quality chances, the Icemen could not find the back of the net. Instead, it was Greenville who found the first goal off of a turnover at neutral ice that quickly turned into an odd-man rush and a goal to put the Swamp Rabbits up 1-0. The Icemen then had to deal with killing penalties for most of the rest of the second period, entering the third on an extended five-on-three penalty kill.
THIRD PERIOD
Through sheer grit and determination, the Icemen killed off the remainder of the five-on-three kill in the third period. Defenseman Reilly Webb stood tall with multiple shot-blocks to keep the Icemen within one. Jacksonville went on the attack in the third period, peppering goaltender Owen Flores with shots, but the Greenville netminder refused to break. In the end, Greenville netted two more goals in the third period, including an empty-net goal, to seal a 3-0 victory over Jacksonville.
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