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ECHL Greenville Swamp Rabbits

Weekend Preview: Teddy Bear Toss Highlights Three-Game Set at Home

December 3, 2015 - ECHL (ECHL)
Greenville Swamp Rabbits News Release


THE STORY COMING IN

The Greenville Swamp Rabbits (9-10-1), proud ECHL affiliate of the New York Rangers and the AHL's Hartford Wolf Pack, kick off a season-long, five-game homestand tonight when they welcome the Cincinnati Cyclones (10-4-4) to the Bon Secours Wellness Arena for the first time this season. Greenville enters the contest having won three of its last four games. Last week, the team went 3-2-0 during its busiest seven-day stretch of the season, which concluded with a 2-0 setback to the Adirondack Thunder on Sunday in Glens Falls, New York. Rookie goaltender Drew Fielding, in his pro debut, made 32 saves for Adirondack that afternoon to erase Greenville's season-long three-game winning streak on the road.

TEDDY BEARS AND MORE

The Swamp Rabbits will feature one of their biggest promotions of the season this weekend with the team's sixth annual Teddy Bear Toss presented by the Bon Secours St. Francis Health System taking place on Saturday. The annual tradition encourages fans to bring stuffed animals to the game and throw them onto SANDLAPPER Securities Rink when Greenville scores its first goal. The stuffed animals are then collected and donated to Toys for Tots. Last season, more than 2,500 stuffed animals were collected and donated. In addition, the Swamp Rabbits invite local elementary school choirs to perform Christmas Carols at the game for the Sing for Santa event! Call 864-674-7825 or click here for tickets.

The weekend slate kicks off tonight with Thirsty Thursday, which features $2 domestic drafts during Hockey Happy Hour from 6-8 p.m. Other concession specials including $2 hot dogs, pretzels and soft drinks will also be available all night long. In addition, limited $5 tickets are available at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena box office only. On Friday, take advantage of the Greenville News Family Fun Pack, which offers 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!

HOME SWEET HOME

In addition to Greenville's five-game homestand, which opens tonight and runs through Dec. 11, the team will also play eight of its next 10 contests overall on SANDLAPPER Securities Rink. The Swamp Rabbits are currently 5-4-1 in the Upstate this season and have been dominant on the power play at home, going 8-for-32 (25-percent), which is ranked second in the league.  

THE MATCHUPS

Tonight's game will mark the first of two meetings between the Swamp Rabbits and Cyclones this season. Both matchups will take place in the Upstate and both occur this weekend. During the offseason, Cincinnati was pushed from the ECHL's Eastern Conference to the West, making tonight's meeting the first inter-conference matchup between the two squads. Last season, Greenville went a perfect 4-0-0 against the Cyclones and 3-0-0 in those games at home. The Swamp Rabbits also lead the all-time series 11-4-3. On Saturday, the Swamp Rabbits will meet the Norfolk Admirals for the third time this season, and the first of two matchups in the Upstate. The series is currently knotted at 1-1 after Greenville's 6-0 rout of the Admirals on Nov. 25 in Virginia.

VIEW FROM CINCINNATI

Head coach Matt MacDonald's club has earned points in four of its last five games as the Cyclones enter tonight's contest in second place in the Midwest Division. Last time out, Cincinnati fought back from a 1-0 deficit to force overtime against Quad City, but fell in a shootout on Tuesday at home. The loss was the club's fourth beyond regulation this season - tied for the most in the league. Cincinnati is led offensively by third-year forward Zach Budish and rookie sensation Nick Huard, who each have 15 points. Between the pipes, Brad Thiessen is fourth in the league with a 1.75 goals-against-average, 790 minutes played and .940 save percentage in 13 appearances. The Cyclones open a three-game road trip tonight.

VIEW FROM NORFOLK

The Admirals spent each of the last 15 seasons in the American Hockey League as the top farm team for the Chicago Blackhawks, Tampa Bay Lightning, or Anaheim Ducks during that span. They reached their peak in 2012 by winning in the AHL's Calder Cup Championship. On Jan. 29, 2015, it was confirmed the franchise would be relocated to San Diego (Gulls) and be replaced in Norfolk by the former Bakersfield Condors ECHL team. Led by head coach Eric Veilleux, the Admirals have lost nine of their last 10 games entering the weekend and are in the basement of the Eastern Conference with 13 points. However, Norfolk earned a 3-1 victory against South Carolina on Wednesday when the team scored three goals in a span of 2:13 in the third period. The Admirals begin a five-game road trip on Saturday, where the club is just 1-10-0 this season.

HOLKA'S RETURN

The Swamp Rabbits re-signed forward Joey Holka. Holka attended training camp with Greenville this season and played eight contests with the club in 2014-15. He recorded seven penalty minutes last season and netted one goal, which was scored in the final second of Greenville's season finale against the Atlanta Gladiators on April 11. A native of Phoenix, Arizona, Holka played 13 games with the Pensacola Ice Flyers of the Southern Professional Hockey League (SPHL) this season and collected 12 points (5g, 7a) and six penalty minutes. The 25-year-old spent three seasons at St. Cloud State University prior to turning pro.    

IN TUNE

If you hadn't heard the name P.J. Musico before last week, you probably have now. The rookie goaltender received the nod to start all five games for the Swamp Rabbits last week, including three contests in as many days over the weekend. Musico was up for the challenge going 3-2-0 with a 2.19 goals-against-average and .919 save percentage during that span. He also recorded his first professional shutout with 26 saves eight days ago against Norfolk. In addition, the former Penn State netminder earned a career-best three straight wins, all on the road, from Wednesday through Saturday. Musico is 3-1-0 on the road this season with a 1.73 goals-against-average, .936 save percentage and one shutout in four starts.

MILESTONE ALERT

Several Swamp Rabbits are approaching milestones heading into this weekend's three-game series. Jack Combs is just four points from his 400th professional point, while Josh Nicholls is three points from his 100th pro point and Michael St. Croix is four points from his 100th pro point. Newcomer Henri Ikonen is expected to make his ECHL debut tonight.

QUICK HITS

Third-year goaltender Jeff Malcolm returned to the Swamp Rabbits on Tuesday following his second stint with AHL Hartford this season... Jack Combs was named runner-up for the CCM ECHL Player of the Week honor last week, recording a hat trick and eight points (4g, 4a) in five games... Bretton Cameron has scored in two straight home games.

AFFILIATE REPORT

New York Rangers (17-6-3, 1st Metropolitan): Next vs. Colorado - Tonight, 7 p.m. ET

Hartford Wolf Pack (8-11-2, 7th Atlantic): Next vs. Hershey - Friday, 7:15 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!

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ECHL Stories from December 3, 2015


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