Swamp Rabbits loss in Boise snaps six-game losing streak | Pro Hockey News

BOISE, Idaho – Patrick Polino scored a power-play goal in his 300^e professional game to cut back on a second-period deficit, but that wasn’t enough as the Idaho Steelheads got all their offense in the first period, beating the Greenville Swamp Rabbits 4-2 on Saturday night. The loss snaps the Swamp Rabbits points streak at six games and gives them a 4-1-0-1 record on their six-game, two-week road trip.

The Steelheads came out flying in the opening frame and carried a three-goal lead into the locker room. Chris Dodero started the entries at 6:06, driving to the net and burying a corner pass in point blank range past Swamp Rabbits netminder Mattias Sholl to put Idaho up 1-0. Brendan Hoffman, the ECHL’s leading scorer, struck 3:25 later when he intercepted an edge in the Swamp Rabbits zone, ran into the gap and fired a shot past Sholl to quickly double the lead to 2-0 at 9:31. Moments later, the Swamp Rabbits got some momentum from Tim Lovell to reduce the deficit. With 4:35 left in the first, Lovell navigated the neutral zone, skated coast-to-coast past all defenders and lofted a shot past Jake Barczewski into the net to put the Swamp Rabbits on the board at 2-1 with his second goal of the week. The momentum was short-lived: 2:05 later, with 2:30 to play, Hoffman slid past Sholl for a second and got just enough off Chris Dodero’s pass to restore the two-goal lead to 3-1 for the Steelheads. Nick Canade, the Steelheads’ captain, hit the ground 41 seconds after that when he shot a blue line through a sea of ​​bodies shielding Sholl, vaulting the Steelheads to a 4-1 lead with 1:49 left.

From the second, Sholl was substituted in net with Pierce Charleson, and soon after the Swamp Rabbits fell one behind, a two-man lead that carried over to the start of the second. Just 71 seconds into the second, Josh Atkinson scored a blue line shot that hit the post and bounced off Barczewski into the crease. Patrick Polino, in his 300^e professional game, grabbed the rebound to cut the deficit to 4–2 (Atkinson’s assist extended his streak to seven consecutive games with a helper). Both teams were unable to solve each other for the remaining 38:49 of regulation, resulting in a 4-2 win over the Steelheads, the first regulation loss suffered by the Swamp Rabbits since January 19.^e.

Mattias Sholl suffered the defeat, stopping one of five shots in twenty minutes (8-8-2-0). Pierce Charleson played the remaining 36:13 of the game, turning away all 13 shots he faced in relief.

The Swamp Rabbits now return home for a stretch of four games in five days, with three of the games taking place on home ice. The process starts on Wednesday, February 11^eagainst the Atlanta Gladiators, with puck drop scheduled for 7:05 PM EST at Bon Secours Wellness Arena.