Greenville Swamp Rabbits Open Season With 5-1 Win Over Atlanta Gladiators

The Greenville Swamp Rabbits kicked off the 2026-27 ECHL season with a rivalry win, defeating the Atlanta Gladiators 5-1 on Friday night at Bon Secours Wellness Arena.

Greenville controlled much of the contest behind a five-goal performance and a strong showing from goaltender Owen Flores, who made his Swamp Rabbits debut. Atlanta avoided the shutout late in the third period when Mike McNamee scored on the power play, but Greenville added another goal to close out the season opener.

Swamp Rabbits Strike First in I-85 Rivalry

The opening-night matchup renewed the I-85 Rivalry, with both teams looking to begin the season with a victory. Atlanta head coach Matt Ginn and Greenville head coach Chad Costello each returned for their second seasons behind the bench.

Ethan Haider started in net for Atlanta, making his third consecutive season-opening start for the Gladiators. Across the ice, Flores made his debut for Greenville.

Both teams created opportunities early, but the Swamp Rabbits broke through first at the 10:11 mark of the opening period. Brendan Gorman finished a cross-ice pass to give Greenville a 1-0 lead, with Hudson Schandor and Neil Shea recording assists.

Atlanta earned two power-play opportunities later in the period but could not convert. A late interference penalty against John Prokop gave Greenville a man advantage that carried into the second period.

After 20 minutes, Greenville led 1-0 and held an 12-8 advantage in shots on goal.

Greenville Builds a Three-Goal Cushion

The Swamp Rabbits carried their momentum into the second period, using their speed and quick passing to create turnovers and attack in transition.

Atlanta initially killed off the penalty to Prokop, and a goal by Branden Troock was waved off midway through the frame. Greenville responded by finding the back of the net twice in just over two minutes.

Shea extended the lead to 2-0 at 10:31 of the period, finishing a play set up by Schandor and Gorman. At 12:37, Blake Bennett made it 3-0, with Ryan McAllister and Ryan O’Reilly picking up the assists.

The Gladiators killed off another penalty, this time against Colton Friesen, to keep Greenville from adding to its advantage before the second intermission.

However, the Swamp Rabbits continued to control the pace. Greenville entered the third period leading 3-0 and outshooting Atlanta 26-14.

McNamee Breaks the Shutout Bid

Greenville added to its lead just 3:24 into the third period. Jack Brackett redirected a shot from Peter Tischke past Haider to make it 4-0.

Atlanta continued searching for an offensive breakthrough and finally capitalized on a power-play opportunity late in regulation.

With 5:10 remaining, McNamee buried a rebound off a shot from Ethan Strang to put the Gladiators on the scoreboard. Strang and Prokop received assists on the goal, cutting Greenville’s lead to 4-1.

The Swamp Rabbits answered before the final horn. Mike O’Leary scored from a sharp angle with 3:19 remaining, finishing a play assisted by Michael Mastrodomenico and Jake Murray.

The goal restored Greenville’s four-goal advantage, and the Swamp Rabbits held on for the 5-1 victory.

Goaltending and Special Teams Tell the Story

Greenville’s offensive production was supported by a strong performance from Flores, who stopped 20 of Atlanta’s 21 shots in his debut.

Haider faced a much heavier workload, making 31 saves on 36 shots for the Gladiators.

Atlanta finished 1-for-3 on the power play and successfully killed all three of Greenville’s power-play opportunities. While the penalty kill kept the Swamp Rabbits from converting with the man advantage, Atlanta struggled to generate enough offense at even strength to challenge Greenville’s lead.

The 5-1 final gave Greenville the first win of the season in the I-85 Rivalry, while Atlanta will look to regroup after a difficult opening-night performance.

Source: Atlanta Gladiators, October 16, 2026.