Hay Nets First Win as Swamp Rabbits Throttle Gladiators
February 23, 2025 - ECHL (ECHL)
Greenville Swamp Rabbits News Release
Greenville Swamp Rabbits goaltender Kolby Hay
(Greenville Swamp Rabbits)
(GREENVILLE, S.C.) - Kolby Hay earned his first professional win on 34 saves, and bolstered by a dozen teammates registering a point, including two career-firsts, led the Greenville Swamp Rabbits to an 8-2 thrashing over the Atlanta Gladiators in the finale of "Military Appreciation Weekend", presented by Bon Secours.
The Swamp Rabbits started on a 5-0 run through the first 30 minutes of the game. Kaleb Lawrence kept his hand smoking red hot in starting the game for the Swamp Rabbits, scoring his third goal in the last two nights to open the scoring entries at 5:46 of the first, beating Ethan Haider from the left in transition to give the Swamp Rabbits a 1-0 lead (Quinn Olson assisted). John Parker-Jones doubled the advantage at 9:49, also with goals in back-to-back games, potting a rebound off of a Jake Flynn shot to make it 2-0 (Flynn and Ben Poisson assisted).
Just 22 seconds into the second, Bryce Brodzinski kept the train rolling for the Swamp Rabbits, flourishing down the middle lane in the midst of four-on-four hockey to triple the Swamp Rabbits lead to 3-0 (Tate Singleton and Chandler Romeo assisted, the latter earning his first point as a Swamp Rabbit). Not to be outdone, Carter Savoie added to his team lead in goalscoring with his 18th at 4:35, reaping the benefits of a hard forecheck from Ben Poisson, who forced a turnover and found him backdoor to make it 4-0 (Poisson and Stuart Rolofs assisted). Quinn Olson was the final strike in the 5-0 run, capitalizing while shorthanded at 8:53 for his second in as many games (Kaleb Lawrence assisted). Throughout the run, Kolby Hay, making his second professional start in as many nights, had stopped nine shots in both the first and second periods.
Atlanta converted on the same power play to end the scoring run, with Chad Nychuk firing a one-timer that beat Hay over his glove shoulder, getting Atlanta on the board trailing 5-1 with 10:20 left in the second (Jackson Pierson and Jeremy Hanzel assisted). Alex Campbell added a second power play tally with 2:24 left in the second, whipping his shot through traffic and past a screened Hay to make it a 5-2 game heading into the third (Derek Topatigh and Blake Murray assisted).
The Swamp Rabbits added three more for good measure, starting again with Brodzinski. At 3:38, Tristan De Jong, making his professional debut, found Brodzinski transitioning up the ice, with the latter finishing through the legs of Haider to add to the lead at 6-2, the assist serving as De Jong's first professional point (De Jong and Jacob Modry assisted). Reverting back to four-on-four later in the game, Chandler Romeo notched his first goal as a pro with a laser from the left side of the zone, beating Haider to balloon the lead to 7-2 with 8:43 left (Olson and Ben Poisson assisted). Jake Flynn ended the scoring entries with an emphatic transition shot, a bullet as the trailer in the sequence under the cross bar to expand the lead to 8-2, the eventual final score (Brodzinski and Singleton assisted).
Kolby Hay earned his first win as a professional net-minder, stopping 34 of 36 shots in the effort (1-0-1-0). He was bolstered by 12 different Swamp Rabbits on the scoresheet, seven of them with a point or more.
The Swamp Rabbits now take to the road for another seven-game stretch, beginning with the Orlando Solar Bears on Friday, February 28th. Puck drop at the Kia Center is slated for 7:05 p.m. EST.
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 Greenville Swamp Rabbits goaltender Kolby Hay |
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