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ECHL Greenville Swamp Rabbits

Everblades Bite Swamp Rabbits, 7-0, on Sunday

November 1, 2015 - ECHL (ECHL)
Greenville Swamp Rabbits News Release


Greenville, S.C. - The Greenville Swamp Rabbits (3-4-0), proud ECHL affiliate of the New York Rangers and the AHL's Hartford Wolf Pack, capped a three-game weekend series on Sunday with a 7-0 setback to the Florida Everblades (6-3-0) at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena. Mike Aviani and Matt Willows each scored twice, while Florida goaltender Daniel Altshuller (4-1-0) made 31 saves to earn his first professional shutout.

With the loss, the Swamp Rabbits dropped their third consecutive game for the first time since March 6 - March 14 and fell to 2-3-0 on SANDLAPPER Securities Rink this season.

The Everblades scratched the scoreboard first on a blast from Aviani at 9:48 of the opening period. Florida defenseman Mike Cornell sent the puck around the boards to the right circle in Greenville's zone, where Willows shuffled a short pass to Aviani, who attacked the net and notched his third goal of the season.

Aviani added to Florida's advantage with his second tally of the period and his fourth of the season at the 18:04 mark. After gaining possession in the trapezoid and skating to the slot, Aviani fell to a knee and directed an initial shot on target that was redirected back in front. On the second attempt, Aviani unleashed a slap shot into the left corner of the net over goaltender Allen York's blocker. Brant Harris and Kevin Montgomery were credited with the assists.

The Everblades broke the contest wide open in the middle frame with three more goals on 10 shots. Justin Agosta made it 3-0 with his fourth goal of the season following a violent collision in front of Greenville's net between Sean Escobedo and Kevin Montgomery. As the puck slid free, Florida's Kevin Lynch swept in and fed a backhand pass to Agosta in the slot, who beat York blocker side at the 5:40 mark.

Twenty-six seconds later, Willows collected his first of two goals in the contest when he captured the puck at the right half-wall and walked to the bottom of the right circle. There, he funneled the puck just between the right post and York's glove for a 4-0 lead. Following the tally, York was pulled and replaced by Adam Morrison at the 6:06 mark.

Lynch extended the Everblades' advantage at 10:07 of the second period when he capitalized on a breakaway chance for his fourth goal of the season. From the neutral zone, Corey Cowick pushed a lead pass to Lynch at the blue line, where the third-year pro skated in uncontested and slid a low shot past the left leg pad of Morrison.

Ten seconds into the final frame, Willows made it 6-0 when the Everblades created an odd-man rush into Greenville territory. From the left wing, Matt Marquardt gained the blue line, picked up speed to create a 2-on-1 opportunity and guided the puck across to Willows for a one-time redirection at the back door.

Evan Bloodoff capped the scoring at 12:04 of the third period with his third goal of the season from Marquardt and Mike Nemec.

A relatively calm game also included two fights when the physical play picked up in the third period. At the 1:34 mark, Bretton Cameron dropped the gloves for the third time this weekend when he went head-to-head with Mike Cornell. In addition, Michael Kantor and Rob Florentino engaged in a tilt at 4:27.  

Greenville finished the contest 0-for-3 on the power play and 1-for-2 on the penalty kill. York (0-3-0) allowed four goals on 18 shots and suffered the loss, while Morrison stopped 12 of 15 chances in 33:54 of playing time.

Florida outshot Greenville 33-31.

The Swamp Rabbits return to action on Friday with a 7:30 p.m. puck drop against the Norfolk Admirals in Norfolk, Virginia. Fans can follow all of the action online through ECHL.TV or the free Mixlr app.

Next Home Game: Greenville welcomes the Atlanta Gladiators to the Bon Secours Wellness Arena on Thursday, Nov. 12 at 7 p.m. for Thirsty Thursday! $5 green-section tickets will be available only at the box office and domestic drafts, fountain drinks, pretzels and hot dogs are just $2!

Get Social: Follow the Swamp Rabbits all season long and get behind-the-scenes coverage like never before on the team's official Facebook and Twitter pages.

Trolley On Over: Greenville's downtown trolley route has been expanded to include a stop at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena. The deviated route will operate for all Swamp Rabbits' games taking place Thursdays through Sundays during normal trolley service hours.

Call 864-674-7825 or visit SwampRabbits.com for tickets. Bring a group of 15 or more out to a game and receive great discounts, merchandise offers and hospitality opportunities! Call a Swamp Rabbits Account Executive for more information! Get the latest Swamp Rabbits gear at the "Hop Shop" team store or visit the "Hop Shop" online at SwampRabbits.com/shop to browse the full collection of fan wear and novelties!

Check out the Greenville Swamp Rabbits Statistics

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