GREENVILLE, SC –The Battle for the Palmetto State shifts its focus from the Upstate to the Low Country today when the Greenville Road Warriors pay a visit to the South Carolina Stingrays. Faceoff from the North Charleston Coliseum is set for 7:05 p.m. ET.
RECAPPING THE ACTION:
12/27/10 – GRW 5 – S.C. 1
With just a 1-0 lead in the third period the Road Warriors picked a good time to have their best third period of the season and reel off four goals as part of the winning effort over South Carolina. Greenville’s win broke the Stingrays’ five-game winning streak and gave the Road Warriors two straight wins over their in-state rival. After a scoreless first, Brandon Wong put the Road Warriors on the board with his eighth goal of the season 2:40 into the second. Dov Grumet-Morris was at his best in that frame with 16 saves to keep Greenville up by one. In the third Chris Chappell potted his first two goals of the season, Chris McKelvie notched his first as a Road Warrior, and Justin Bowers piled on a power play goal to round out Greenville’s scoring. Only a quick shot by Tommy Goebel off of a faceoff snuck past Grumet-Morris and put the Stingrays’ lone tally on the board.
WHAT’S ON TAP FOR TONIGHT:
The Road Warriors head into unfriendly territory tonight looking to break up another of South Carolina’s streaks. After stopping the ‘Rays’ five-game winning streak on Monday, the Road Warriors could put the brakes on a three-game home winning streak for South Carolina. The Stingrays have out-scored opponents 10-5 over the streak, and have not lost at home since a 7-3 defeat to Kalamazoo on Dec. 6. Greenville, meanwhile, has not lost in regulation on the road since a 3-1 setback at the hands of the Stingrays on Nov. 16. The Road Warriors are 1-1-0 at the North Charleston Coliseum this season after a 2-0 win over the Stingrays on Dec. 4.
One of Greenville’s hallmarks this season has been getting off to good starts. That has been especially true recently as the Road Warriors have score the first goal in each of their last five games. Four of those have resulted in wins and the only loss was sustained on Dec. 15 in a 5-1 defeat against Florida. For the season, Greenville leads the ECHL in first goals with 21 and has a record of 16-4-1 in games when scoring first. Julien Brouillette leads all Road Warriors with five first goals this season while current Warriors Mark Voakes and Justin Bowers each have three. South Carolina, meanwhile, has scored first in 12 of 30 games this season and has a 7-4-1 record in those games.
Greenville broke out of a mini-slump on the power play at home with a 1-for-4 performance on Monday. Until then the Road Warriors had been 0-for-9 in their last two games. On the road, however, the exact opposite has been the case with an 8-for-28 (28%) mark in their last five away games. The power play has been especially potent recently with five goals in its last 16 chances (31%) in the last two road outings. In December, the Road Warriors have scored a power play goal in every away game except for two; the games on Dec. 8 and Dec. 10 in Florida.
Mark your calendars! The Road Warriors return to home ice on Sunday, January 2 to battle the Wheeling Nailers at 4:05 p.m. at the BI-LO Center. There will be a post-game skate immediately following the Road Warriors’ tilt against Wheeling and it’s free to attend with your ticket stub. There are also skates to rent if you don’t have a pair of your own. Be sure to call the Road Warriors at 864-674-PUCK to find out how your group of 10 or more can save on the box office price, receive preferred seating based on availability, and enjoy other great benefits. Visit www.greenvilleroadwarriors.com for all of your Road Warriors information.
