Sports stats



ECHL Greenville Swamp Rabbits

York Propels Swamp Rabbits to 3-2 Shootout Win

January 2, 2016 - ECHL (ECHL)
Greenville Swamp Rabbits News Release


Manchester, NH - Goaltender Allen York tied a career high with 42 saves, including a penalty shot in overtime, to guide the Greenville Swamp Rabbits (16-12-5), proud ECHL affiliate of the New York Rangers and the AHL's Hartford Wolf Pack, to a 3-2 shootout victory over the Manchester Monarchs (20-11-2) at Verizon Wireless Arena on Saturday.

Scott Fleming, Rob Kwiet and Jordan Knackstedt each found the back of the net in a four-round shootout for Greenville, while Gasper Kopitar and Derek Arnold collected shootout tallies for Manchester in a bizarre finish. In the Monarchs' final shootout opportunity, Michael Boivin clipped the post and bounced the puck off the goal line, but it never crossed, allowing the Swamp Rabbits to capture their fifth win in the last seven games.

With the victory, Greenville also extended its point streak to a season-high seven games (5-0-2). The club has been to overtime in three of its last four contests and has earned at least one point in nine of its last 10.

Following more than 18 minutes of scoreless hockey, Richard Nejezchleb put Greenville on top at 18:12 of the first period with his fifth goal of the season. From the left side of Manchester's zone, Knackstedt and Joey Holka teamed up to find Nejezchleb at the doorstep, where the rookie jammed home a one-timer past New York Rangers' prospect Cedrick Desjardins. With the goal, Nejezchleb has 10 points (4g, 6a) in his last 10 games.

Nearly 20 minutes later, Darian Dziurzynski extended the Swamp Rabbits' advantage shortly after a faceoff at 18:21 of the second period. On the left side, Fleming won a draw to Bretton Cameron, who brushed the puck to Dziurzynski at the top of the circle for a wrist shot that funneled just inside the right post and past the left leg of relief goaltender Doug Carr. Carr replaced Desjardins at the beginning of the middle frame after Desjardins stopped 10 of 11 shots in the opening period.

The Monarchs responded with a pair of goals in the third period to even the game at 2-2 and eventually force overtime for the second straight game. At the 5:40 mark, Gasper Kopitar cut the deficit to one when he tipped home Yann Sauve's blast from the blue line to net his fifth goal of the season. Matt Leitner followed that up with his eighth goal of the season at 17:27 when he filtered a shot between York's glove and the right post from an impossible angle. Sauve earned his second point of the game with an assist.

A highly entertaining overtime session saw quality chances for each team but no goals. It was highlighted by a penalty shot for Joe Diamond just 47 seconds in after Charlie Dodero illegally tied up Diamond with his stick on a breakaway.

Greenville finished the game 0-for-1 on the power play, while Manchester never had a man advantage on the afternoon. York (2-4-1) earned his second straight win between the pipes, while Carr (1-1-2) made 26 saves on 27 shots in 40 minutes of relief work.

The contest included two first-period fights: Dodero vs. Diamond at the 12:06 mark, and Andrew Dommett vs. Derek Arnold nearly two minutes later (14:07).

Manchester outshot Greenville 44-39.

Next Time Out: The Swamp Rabbits conclude a four-game road trip tomorrow afternoon with a 3 p.m. rematch against the Monarchs at Verizon Wireless Arena. Fans can follow all of the 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!

Check out the Greenville Swamp Rabbits Statistics



ECHL Stories from January 2, 2016


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.

Other Recent Greenville Swamp Rabbits Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central