Rabbits Blank Glads 5-0

The Gladiators hosted the Swamp Rabbits Saturday night and it didn’t take long for the scoring to begin, as Greenville found themselves an early 1-0 lead just 26 seconds into the game. Jack Combs tallied his 19th goal of the year by sending a rebound past a screened Matt Ginn, and into the back of the net. Kodie Curran was credited with his 18th helper of the year after taking the original shot from the point, while Scott Fleming picked up his 27th on the secondary assist.The visiting Swamp Rabbits would then double their lead, and make it 2-0 just 5:40 into the opening frame. After forcing a turnover in the neutral zone, Greenville set up a passing play in the Atlanta zone that saw Brian Hart score his ninth goal of the year on a one-timer from the blocker side. Ryan Rashid sent the saucer pass to Hart for his 22nd assist, with Troy Donnay getting his tenth on the secondary helper.After starting the period with a two-goal lead, Greenville continued to put pressure on the Gladiators, leading to their third tally of the night. Michael St. Croix put his team ahead 3-0 after tapping in a centering pass in front of an open net. The tally marks the third-year pro's tenth goal of the year while both Jack Combs and Scott Fleming picked up their second points of the game with an assist on the play.Adding on to the momentum gained in the first two periods, Greenville would increase their lead to 4-0, 3:58 into the final stanza. Josh Nicholls got the puck on the far side of his offensive zone and then walked it in and sent a puck across the face of the ice and through the five-hole of Ginn. The goal was the former Saskatoon Blades' 16th of the year, with both Kevin King and Garett Bembridge getting credited with an assist on the play.The Swamp Rabbits were not done yet though, as they added a power play goal half way through the third period to make it 5-0. Kodie Curran was credited with his second goal in as many nights as he sent a one-timer from the near side past Ginn and into the open net frame. St. Croix was the man who sent the pass to Curran, which gave him his second point of the night. Sean Escobedo added his name to the score sheet by picking up his 20th helper of the year on the secondary assist.With the loss on home ice, Atlanta drops to 30-26-5-2 on the year, giving them 67 points and placing them in 9th place in the Eastern Conference. Meanwhile, Greenville improves to 28-26-8-0 with the win, placing them in 11th place in the Eastern Conference with 64 points.