ECHL Greenville Swamp Rabbits

Swamp Rabbits Close out 2015 against Monarchs

Published on December 31, 2015 under ECHL (ECHL)
Greenville Swamp Rabbits News Release


THE STORY COMING IN

The Greenville Swamp Rabbits (15-12-4), proud ECHL affiliate of the New York Rangers and the AHL's Hartford Wolf Pack, close out 2015 tonight with their first-ever meeting against the Manchester Monarchs. Greenville enters tonight's contest on a season-long, five-game point streak (4-0-1) and with points in seven of its last eight games overall. Last time out, rookie forward Richard Nejezchleb scored his second career game-winning goal in a 3-1 victory at Adirondack on Tuesday. Darian Dziurzynski and Bretton Cameron also chipped in tallies, while goaltender Allen York earned his first win of the season (and first with the Swamp Rabbits) with 33 saves. Greenville is five points behind South Carolina for third place in the South Division, and six points behind Atlanta for second.

THE MATCHUP

Tonight's New Year's Eve contest is the inaugural meeting between the Swamp Rabbits and Monarchs, and the first of three matchups this season. All three games will take place in Manchester, New Hampshire and all three will occur within the next four days.

VIEW FROM MANCHESTER

Led by head coach Richard Seeley, the Monarchs are currently first in the East Division with 39 points and second in the Eastern Conference overall. The club is coming off a 2-0 victory against Adirondack last Sunday, in which goaltender Colin Stevens made 44 saves to record Manchester's first shutout of the season. Offensively, Maxim Kitsyn and Alex Roach recorded the goals, while leading scorer Matt Leitner was held without a point. However, Leitner continues to sit eighth in the league's scoring race with 29 points and third in assists (22). The rookie also leads all first-year players in assists and is tied for second in points. Manchester spent each of the last 14 years in the American Hockey League as the top farm team of the Los Angeles Kings. The Monarchs are the defending Calder Cups champions.

SKAPSKI'S RETURN

Goaltender Mackenzie Skapski was reassigned to Greenville by the New York Rangers yesterday following a 10-game stint with AHL Hartford this season. Skapski, 21, played two games with Greenville earlier this season (0-2-0), and made his pro debut with the club last October. He went on to become the team's sixth graduate to reach the NHL when he debuted for the Rangers on Feb. 20, 2015, and posted a 2-0-0 record with a 0.50 goals-against-average, .978 save percentage and one shutout in two appearances (both at Buffalo).

MOVING ON UP

Forwards Jack Combs and Josh Nicholls were each promoted to AHL Hartford on Sunday, raising the total number of call-ups for the Swamp Rabbits this season to 20. Additionally, 14 different players have been called up to the AHL from Greenville so far this season. Combs led Greenville in goals (15), assists (16) and points (31), and was third in the league's overall point scoring race l prior to his call-up. In addition, Combs is tied for the league-lead in goal scoring following his game-winner against Atlanta last Saturday. Nicholls has also been a key offensive threat this season, ranking second on the team in goals (10) and third on the club in points (21).

QUICK HITS

Greenville has eclipsed the six-goal mark seven times this season, and six times since Nov. 25 alone... The Swamp Rabbits are 15-2-2 when scoring at least three goals, 12-1-2 when scoring at least once on the power play and 10-1-2 when leading after the second period...Greenville is 1-1-0 on New Year's Eve since 2010-11, when the franchise relocated to South Carolina.

WATCH LIVE

Fans can follow all of tonight's action live through ECHL.TV and the free Mixlr audio stream. The Swamp Rabbits' Official Road Watch Party Destination, the Palmetto Restaurant and Ale House on Beacon Drive, will also carry the game on three television screens beginning at 7 p.m. tonight.

AFFILIATE REPORT

New York Rangers (21-13-4, 2nd Metropolitan): Next at Florida - Saturday, 7 p.m. ET

Hartford Wolf Pack (14-16-2, 6th Atlantic): Next vs. Albany - Saturday, 7 p.m. ET

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!

Check out the Greenville Swamp Rabbits Statistics

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ECHL Stories from December 31, 2015


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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