GREENVILLE, SC –Tonight the Greenville Road Warriors host the Gwinnett Gladiators at 7:05 p.m. at the BI-LO Center. The match up pits the Road Warriors against their tormentors from last week who won three in a row against Greenville.
RECAPPING THE ACTION:
1/13/11 – GRW 4 – FLA 1
The Road Warriors were looking to snap out of a three-game losing streak but didn’t start off on the right foot. A fluke shorthanded goal by Ross Carlson that bounced off of defenceman Wes Cunningham past Nic Riopel with nearly four minutes gone by in the game. Greenville recovered and received goals from Chris McKelvie and Blake Parlett 1:07 apart late in the frame to take its first lead of the night. A 12-shot second period couldn’t produce any goals for the Road Warriors, but seven saves from Riopel kept the lead intact. Third period goals from Brandon Wong and Shane Harper built a comfortable advantage and Riopel was again solid in the final frame with 13 saves. It was the final home game against Florida this season and the Road Warriors finished with a 5-1-1 record against Florida in their home arena.
1/11/11 – GWT 2 – FLA 1
After sweeping three games from the Road Warriors last week, Gwinnett used its 2-1 win over Florida this week to build its longest winning streak of the season at four games. Just like last night against Greenville, Florida grabbed a 1-0 first period lead but couldn’t make it stand up. Alex Imbeault’s 20th score of the season came at 12:20 and gave Florida the advantage. The lead held through the second, but the Gladiators came through with the third period heroics. Drew Paris tied the game with his second goal of the season just over four minutes into the period and the game winner came from Andy Brandt at 13:52. Gwinnett’s offense was in high gear during the third and sent 22 shots on Jaroslav Janus.
WHAT’S ON TAP FOR TONIGHT:
The Road Warriors are second in the league with 23 first goals this season, just one behind the Elmira Jackals. Greenville’s record is an exemplary 18-4-1 (.804) when scoring first, but grabbing the early lead has been a tough task for the Road Warriors of late. They have surrendered the first goal of the game in each of their last four and sport a 1-3-0 record in those games. For the season, the Road warriors are 6-6-1 when their opponent scores first. Gwinnett on the flip side has scored first in three of its last four and is 3-0-0 in those games.
The Road Warriors will continue to work in some new parts after a busy day on the transaction wire yesterday with four additions. Old faces rejoined the club after some time away and new players were welcomed to the fold. Shane Harper scored a goal in his first game with Greenville since November 18. He was in the AHL with the Adirondack Phantoms for 20 games in between. Trevor Glass came back after sustaining an upper-body injury on Dec. 29 and landing on the 3-day IR. Glass had an assist in the win. New winger Jacob Lagace was reassigned to the club by the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres from Portland of the AHL. Also defenseman Luke Lucyk was brought to the fold after being released by Gwinnett earlier in the week.
After a shaky stretch of games last week, getting on home ice might have been the best remedy for the Road Warriors. They lead the ECHL in home wins (14), home winning percentage (.763), goals for at home (73), and are second in goals against at home (41). Despite last week’s 3-1 setback against Gwinnett, the Road Warriors hold a 3-2-0 mark against the Gladiators on BI-LO Center ice. Overcoming Gwinnett’s defense and goaltending will be a key for the Road Warriors tonight. In each of their losses, and even one victory, the Gladiators have limited the Road Warriors to just one goal in Greenville. In the three home wins against Gwinnett, Greenville has the scoring edge at 13-2.
The Road Warriors are finishing up a three-game home series with games this Friday and Saturday. Friday’s game against Gwinnett features the Friday Family Four-Pack where $48 gets you four hot dogs, four sodas, four bags of chips, and four pretzels. Saturday is a hockey double-header with Clemson taking on Tennessee at 3:00 p.m. at the BI-LO Center followed by the Road Warriors and Kalamazoo Wings at 7:05. Groups of 10 or more can still book an outing to either game to save off the box office price, receive preferred seating based on availability, and enjoy other great benefits. Call 864-674-PUCK for more information or to book your outing.
