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ECHL Greenville Swamp Rabbits

Preview: Swamp Rabbits Greet First-Place Florida in Three Straight at Home

January 7, 2016 - ECHL (ECHL)
Greenville Swamp Rabbits News Release


THE STORY COMING IN

The Greenville Swamp Rabbits (17-12-5), proud ECHL affiliate of the New York Rangers and the AHL's Hartford Wolf Pack, meet the first-place Florida Everblades (23-11-0) tonight at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena, seeking to extend their point streak to nine games for the first time since a streak spanning Nov. 29, 2014 - Dec. 29, 2014. Greenville enters tonight's contest with six wins in its last eight games (6-0-2), including a trio of victories last week against Manchester and Adirondack (the top two teams in the East Division). In their last outing on Sunday, the Swamp Rabbits battled back from a two-goal deficit late in the third period against Manchester and completed the comeback in a shootout for a 3-2 win. Jordan Knackstedt and Andrew Dommett each scored in regulation, while Mackenzie Skapski was brilliant between the pipes, stopping 32 shots for his first career ECHL win. Greenville opens a four-game homestand tonight.

THE PLACE TO BE

The Bon Secours Wellness Arena is the place to be this weekend as the Swamp Rabbits return to SANDLAPPER Securities Rink to clash with Florida on Thursday, Friday and Saturday! Tonight is Thirsty Thursday as the team returns to SANDLAPPER Securities Rink at 7 p.m., which features $2 domestic drafts during Hockey Happy Hour from 6-8 p.m. and $2 soft drinks, pretzels and hot dogs all game long! In addition, limited $5 tickets are available at the box office.

Cap Giveaway: Tomorrow night, the first 1,000 fans through the doors will receive a special-edition Swamp Rabbits' baseball cap presented by 92.5 WESC! In addition, the Greenville News Family Fun Pack will be available, featuring four (4) red-level tickets, four (4) hot dogs, four (4) bags of chips, four (4) fountain drinks and two (2) Swamp Rabbits' foam fingers for just $60! Doors open at 6 p.m. Click here to purchase the Greenville News Family Fun Pack.

THE MATCHUP

Tonight's contest marks the third of 11 meetings between the Swamp Rabbits and Everblades this season, and the third of seven in the Upstate. The series is currently knotted 1-1-0 after Greenville earned a 3-2 victory on SANDLAPPER Securities Rink on Oct. 25, but suffered a 7-0 setback one week later. Former Everblades' forward Mike Aviani notched four points (2g, 2a) that day, while goaltender Daniel Altshuller stopped all 31 shots he faced. Greenville went 1-7-1 against Florida last season (1-3-0 at home), but is 33-18-8 all-time against the 'Blades. Florida has won nine of the last 10 games in the series dating back to last season.

VIEW FROM ESTERO

Led by head coach Greg Poss, the Everblades enter tonight's contest in the top spot of the Eastern Conference with 23 wins and 46 points. Florida is also the hottest team in the conference with seven wins in its last 10 games. One of those victories came in its last outing on Saturday when forward Kevin Lynch scored once and added an assist to lead the Everblades to a 4-1 win at Orlando. Matt Willows also registered a goal and now leads the team with 32 points, which places him fifth in the league's scoring race overall and first among ECHL rookies. In addition, goaltender Daniel Altshuller, currently on a call-up with the AHL's Charlotte Checkers, is currently tops in the ECHL in goals-against-average (1.58) and save percentage (.941) through 14 appearances.      

"KNACK" FOR SUCCESS

Jordan Knackstedt is on a team-best five-game point streak (2g, 3a) dating back to Dec. 27. During that span, the veteran forward helped the Swamp Rabbits bounce back to force overtime twice against Manchester last weekend, and also scored in two shootouts. Knackstedt ranks fourth on the Swamp Rabbits' active scoring chart with 20 points (7g, 13a) this season.

MAGIC NUMBER

Five of Greenville's last six games have been eerily similar, each concluding with a 3-2 score and all five going beyond regulation. The club is 17-2-2 when scoring at least three goals this season and 11-1-0 when allowing two or fewer. Greenville is also 3-0 in shootouts and 2-5 when the game is decided in overtime.

NEW YORK

Goaltender Allen York has been stellar since his return from the injured reserve in mid-December. The fifth-year netminder is 2-0-1 since he was activated on Dec. 19 with a 1.93 goals-against-average and a .951 save percentage in three starts. In addition, York went 2-0-0 in a pair of games last week with a 1.45 goals-against-average and .962 save percentage, helping him earn runner-up honors for CCM ECHL Goaltender of the Week. The 26-year-old earned his first win with the Swamp Rabbits last Tuesday with a 33-save performance at Adirondack.

ROOKIE SENSATION

First-year forward Richard Nejezchleb has had the hot stick for Greenville over the last month, recording 10 of his 16 points during the month of December. The Czech Republic native also has seven points (4g, 3a) in his last six games and is currently on a five-game point streak on the road.

QUICK HITS

Rob Kwiet is scheduled to play his 400th professional game this Saturday against Florida... The Swamp Rabbits are tied for the league-lead with 41 third-period goals... Bretton Cameron has points in five straight home games dating back to Dec. 10 (3g, 4a).

AFFILIATE REPORT

New York Rangers (22-14-4, 3rd Metropolitan): Next vs. Washington - Saturday, 1 p.m. ET

Hartford Wolf Pack (14-18-2, 7th Atlantic): Next vs. Springfield - Tomorrow, 7:15 p.m. ET

WATCH LIVE

Fans can follow all of this weekend's action live through ECHL.TV and the free Mixlr audio stream.

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 extended to include a stop at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena. The expanded 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!

 Date Time Opponent Follow

Thurs, Jan. 7 7 p.m. ET vs. Florida Listen - Watch - Twitter

Fri, Jan. 8 7 p.m. ET vs. Florida Listen - Watch - Twitter

Sat, Jan. 9 7 p.m. ET vs. Florida Listen - Watch - Twitter

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