GREENVILLE, SC –The Greenville Road Warriors make the short jaunt down I-85 to tangle with the Gwinnett Gladiators for the second time in as many nights tonight. Faceoff from the Arena at Gwinnett Center is scheduled for 7:35 p.m.
RECAPPING THE ACTION:
1/6/11 – GRW 1 – GWT 3
The Road Warriors saw their four-game winning streak against Gwinnett brought to a halt last night. Gwinnett used a Dan Kissel goal with 30 seconds left in the first period to grab a 1-0 lead. Greenville had limited the Gladiators to two shots through the first half of the period, but Kissel’s goal woke up the offense. Greenville did battle back to tie the game at 3:12 of the second period. With a good cycle working on the right wing, Jimmy Kilpatrick was able to hit an open Chris Chappell and the rookie sniped his third goal of the season. Gwinnet, however, didn’t allow the Road Warriors to build momentum off of that goal and retook the lead with Paul Flache’s fourth goal of the campaign at 7:33 of the second. That proved to be the game winner, but Tim Miller added one for insurance with 4:07 left to play in the middle frame. Greenville had a health shot advantage, 13-5, in the third period, but could not feed a shot past rookie Chris Carrozzi in the Gwinnett goal. Dov Grumet-Morris sustained the loss in net for the Road Warriors.
WHAT’S ON TAP FOR TONIGHT:
Despite changes in the roster and some inconsistent scoring, one thing has remained constant for the Road Warriors lately; killing penalties well. Greenville has not allowed a power play goal in its last seven games and is 33-for-33 going back to Florida’s last two power plays on Dec. 15. Their best effort was an 8-for-8 job on Dec. 19, the last time the Road Warriors visited the Gladiators. Greenville is also tied for the league lead with 8 SHGs.
Rookie defenseman Blake Parlett has made a fine jump to the pros after finishing his OHL career with Mississauga last season. The 21-year-old is the top scoring first-year defense-man (fifth overall in the league) with 18 points (5G, 13A) through 28 games. Among all rookies he is fourth with 11 power play points, and first with 8 power play assists. He had his best night as a pro on Jan. 2 against Wheeling with a goal and two assists.
After dropping their first two games of the season in Gwinnett by a combined 11-4 score, the Road Warriors have been strong in that building. They have won two straight in The Arena at Gwinnett Center by a count of 9-2. As the statistics show, games between the teams in Gwinnett have not typically been close this season. The only game that was up for grabs near the end of regulation was on November 6 when the Road Warriors fell by a 5-3 count. Despite just a .500 record in Gwinnett the Road Warriors have scored the first goal in all four of the games they’ve played at Gwinnett this season.
Please click here for tonight’s media kit.
Please click here for Game Notes page one.
Please click here for Game Notes page two.
Please click here for Road Warriors player information.
Please click here for Gladiators player information.
Mark your calendars! The Road Warriors return to home ice on Thursday, January 13 to take on the Florida Everblades at 7:05 p.m. at the BI-LO Center. Be sure to arrive early because The Piedmont Boys will be playing a pre-game concert beginning at 6:00 p.m. on the BI-LO Center concourse. You’ll want to stick around for another Dollar Drink Thursday with select draught beers and fountain drinks on sale for just $1! If you have a group of 10 or more that wants to attend the game call 864-674-PUCK to speak to a Road Warriors group sales representative. Groups enjoy discounts off of the box office price, preferred seating based on availability, and other great benefits.
