Greenville Swamp Rabbits (15-29-3-2) vs Worcester Railers (20-19-3-3)

DCU Center – Worcester, Massachusetts

Friday, February 8, 2019 – 7:05 EST – ECHL Game #629

989 Nash Icon | ECHL.TV

Referee: Chris Pontes (#12)

Linesmen: Matt Wyld (#56), Brent Colby (#38)

Match Notes

  • Season Series: Game 3 of 3. (Series tied at 1-1)
  • First of three February games for Worcester, all taking place this weekend.
  • Worcester can get within two points of fifth place in the North Division with a win. Greenville sits at the bottom on the South Division, trailing behind Atlanta for sixth by seven points.

Players to Watch

  • Tyler Barnes (Worcester) – Tyler Barnes is quite literally on fire. He has eight points in his last six games and has five goals in his last four. Look for Barnes to tear things up again this weekend and extend these streaks.
  • Michael Pelech (Greenville) – Michael Pelech makes his return to Worcester as a Swamp Rabbit. He leads Greenville in assists (30) and points (43). Pelech is also on a three-game point streak to start the weekend.

Railers Notes

  • Tyler Barnes is on a six-game point streak. (5-3-8)
  • Ryan Hitchcock is on a three-game point streak. (1-5-6)
  • Tommy Kelley is on a three-game point streak. (0-3-3)
  • Ryan MacKinnon is on a three-game point streak. (1-2-3)
  • Barry Almeida will be playing in his 300th regular season game tonight.
  • Cold Streaks: Bo Brauer (5 games), Connor Doherty (5 games), Woody Hudson (3 games), Dylan Willick (3 games), Tommy Panico (3 games)

Recent Railers Additions, Subtractions, Transactions

  • Tyler Mueller was activated from injured reserve on Thursday.
  • Woody Hudson was placed on reserve on Thursday.

Possible Railers Scratches

  • Bo Brauer – on reserve.
  • Woody Hudson – on reserve.
  • Kyle McKenzie – on injured reserve, out for the season.
  • Matt Schmalz – on injured reserve.
  • Alex Vanier – serving game one of a two game suspension.

Swamp Rabbits Notes

  • Michael Pelech is third in minor penalties with 38.
  • Garrett Milan has two goals against Worcester this season, the most of any current Swamp Rabbits player.
  • Johno May is 11tth in rookies with 35 points this season. He is also ranked 6th for power play goals for rookies with 6.
  • Goaltenders Chris Nell and Garrett Bartus lead the league in losses with 16 and 14, respectively.
  • Greenville is coming off of an eleven game losing streak, which was stopped on Monday in a 4-3 win over Atlanta in overtime.
  • Swamp Rabbits have the worst penalty kill on the road, allowing a league-high of 26 goals while shorthanded.
  • Greenville has allowed 12 shorthanded goals this season, which is another league-high.

Recent Swamp Rabbits Additions, Subtractions, Transactions

  • Jake Faiella was signed to a SPC on Friday.
  • Chris Izmirlian was activated from injured reserve on Wednesday.
  • Chris Izmirlian and Jake Faiella were placed on reserve on Wednesday.

Possible Swamp Rabbits Scratches

  • Dan Milan – serving game two of a five game suspension.
  • Jake Faiella – on reserve.
  • Travis Howe – serving game fourteen of a eighteen game suspension.
  • Trevor Owens – on injured reserve, last played on December 28.
  • Chris Izmirlian – on reserve, last played on January 19.

Head-to-Head

Worcester Greenville
Goals For  2.51 – 25th  2.43 – 26th
Goals Against  2.89 – 6th  3.71 – 25th
Shots For  31.82 – 13th  28.65 – 25th
Shots Against  32.96 – 20th  32.43 – 18th
Fighting Majors  28  24
Power Play  11.1% – 27th  13.4% – 24th
Penalty Kill  84.2% – 9th  74.5% – 27th
Avg Height / Weight / Age  6′ 0″ / 191 lbs / 24.83 years  6′ 1″ / 191 lbs / 25 years

Team Records

Worcester  Greenville
Scoring First  15-6-1-2  10-5-3-1
Leading After 1  8-1-1-3  8-2-2-0
Leading After 2  13-0-0-2  7-0-1-1
Tied After 1  8-9-2-0  5-5-1-2
Tied After 2  7-6-2-1  8-1-1-0
Trailing After 1  4-9-0-0  2-22-0-0
Trailing After 2  0-13-1-0  0-28-1-1
Outshooting Opponents  7-8-1-2  4-10-0-0
Out Shot by Opponents  11-11-2-1  10-19-3-2

On the Island and at the Port

  • Greiss, Isles Grind Out 2-1 Shootout Win Over Devils [NHL]
  • Sound Tigers Earn 10th Win Past Regulation Tuesday [Sound Tigers]
  • Islanders host the Avalanche tomorrow at 1 PM.
  • Bridgeport faces Providence tonight at 7 PM.

Closing Statements

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