GREENVILLE, SC – Three days after taking the division lead from Gwinnett at the BI-LO Center the Greenville Road Warriors pay a visit to The Arena at Gwinnett Center to face off with the Gladiators.
RECAPPING THE ACTION:
12/4/10 – GRW 2 – S.C. 0
Behind excellent goaltending from Dov Grumet-Morris and some timely scoring the Road Warriors skated out of North Charleston with a shutout victory last night. Grumet-Morris came through with his biggest save of the night 2:34 into the second period. South Carolina’s Dylan Yeo was awarded a penalty shot, but his wrist shot was gloved down by Grumet-Morris and kept the game scoreless. With 9:15 left in the second Justin Bowers potted the game-winning goal by beating Todd Ford on a breakaway. Jimmy Kilpatrick hit Bowers with the home run pass at center just after Bowers came onto the ice in a line change. In the third Paul McIlveen collected a rebound from a Kilpatrick wrist shot and slammed it into the open net to give the Road Warriors a two-goal cushion. It was Greenville’s only power play goal and Julien Brouillette added the other assist. Grumet-Morris made 26 saves in earning his second shutout of the season.
12/3/10 – GWT 2 – S.C. 4
Looking to bounce back after a setback to the Road Warriors the night before, the Gladiators grabbed a 1-0 lead on a Matt Krug power play goal. It was the second-year blueliner’s second goal of the season with help coming from Tim Miller and Mike Forney. South Carolina, however, answered with Justin Milo’s first professional goal with just 24 seconds left in the first period. Two more goals by the Stingrays put the game out of reach. Josh Godfrey picked up his fifth of the season at 8:07 of the second and was followed by Matt Scherer at 6:04 of the third. The Gladiators made things interesting by cutting the deficit to one on Danick Paquette’s power play goal at 9:57. Scherer responded with a power play goal for South Carolina at 11:48 to restore the two-goal lead and set the final score. Billy Sauer made the start in net and turned aside 36 of the 40 shots he faced.
WHAT’S ON TAP FOR TONIGHT
After having not scored more than three goals in any game against Gwinnett this season the Road Warriors broke through in a big way with a 7-1 in the most recent meeting between the teams last Thursday. The win propelled Greenville into first place in the South Division standing and improved its record at home against Gwinnett to 2-1-0. The Gladiators, however, are the only team in the league with a winning record against the Road Warriors at 3-2-0. Gwinnett beat Greenville soundly in two games here on November 6 and 7. The 6-1 loss on Nov. 7 was the largest defeat the Road Warriors have suffered to date.
When the Greenville Road Warriors win this season they tend to do so in impressive fashion. In tight games, however, they have not enjoyed as much success. In games that are decided by at least three goals Greenville has a record of 9-1-0 but in games that are won by two goals or less its record dips to 6-4-1. The Road Warriors had their widest margin of victory in Thursday’s 7-1 win over the Gladiators. Average margin of victory for the Road Warriors this season is 2.74 while average margin of defeat is 2.17.
After snapping a three-game road losing streak to begin the season the Road Warriors have rattled off five consecutive wins away from the BI-LO Center and six wins in a row overall. They are averaging 4.8 goals per game over the streak while giving up just 1.8 goals against. The Road Warriors are tied with Florida for the longest current winning streak in the league.
Mark your calendars! The Road Warriors return to home ice to take on the Gwinnett Gladiators on Tuesday, December 14 at 7:05 p.m. at the BI-LO Center. It will be the Road Warriors’ first Twofer Tuesday of the season. You can pick up two center ice tickets, two hot dogs, two sodas, and two boxes of popcorn for just $30! There is also great group seating available. Your group of 10 or more can enjoy discounted tickets, preferred seating based on availability, and much more by booking in advance. Call 864-674-PUCK to talk to a Road Warriors group sales representative.
