VERSUS 
GREENVILLE, SC – It might have taken some extra work, but the Road Warriors picked up a win in a shootout over the Reading Royals on Friday night. The 4-3 victory improved Greenville’s record to 27-14-2 on the season.
In an attempt to win their second straight road game, the Road Warriors got the ideal start in Reading thanks to a reliable source. Connor Shields brought a four-game point streak into tonight’s contest and quickly extended it to five with a goal at the 3:50 mark. It was Shields’ 14th of the season with assists from Lee Baldwin and Sam Klassen. Baldwin had a hand in the Road Warriors’ second goal of the frame, as did Shields. Shane Harper pushed his point streak to nine games with his seventh of the season at 12:26 to build Greenville’s lead to 2-0. The Road Warriors saw their lead shrink due to some penalty trouble late in the frame. A bench minor for too many men on the ice and a holding minor to Connor Shields left Greenville shorthanded by two men for 1:40. Jared Ross capitalized at 15:31 to trim Greenville’s lead to one.
Like a counter-punching prize fighter, the Reading Royals put forth a frenzied offensive effort in the second period as they looked for the tying goal. But a 10-save effort by Riopel in the frame made sure that the Road Warriors’ lead stayed intact. Greenville’s best offensive opportunity came when Reading’s Dallas Jackson took a hooking minor with 13:24 gone by in the frame. Greenville had the puck controlled in Reading ice for the better part of 90 seconds, but was unable to register a shot on goal. In total, Greenville had eight shots in the frame, but all were turned aside by Hutchinson.
A 15-3 shot advantage for the Road Warriors wasn’t enough to decide the game in regulation as the team traded goals and left it to overtime to decide the winner. After a five-game trip up to the AHL with the Connecticut Whale, Chris Chappell made his return to the Road Warriors a memorable one. His goal at 16:34, with assists from T.J. Reynolds and Marc-Olivier Vallerand gave the Road Warriors their one goal lead back. The lead was short-lived, however, because Reading’s Chris Blight tied it at three just 18 seconds after Chappell’s score. With neither team scoring again in regulation, the game moved to sudden death overtime. The five minutes went by scoreless and the final stage, a shootout, was needed to decide the winner. In the breakaway competition goals by Jimmy Kilpatrick, Shields, and Harper were enough to best goals by Reading’s Eric Castonguay and Blight.
Riopel turned in 22 saves in picking up his 10th win of the season, along with three stops in the shootout. The Road Warriors finished 0-for-3 on the power play and 2-for-3 on the penalty kill.
Mark your calendars! The Road Warriors will return home from a seven-game road trip on Wednesday, February 9 to take on the South Carolina Stingrays at 7:05 p.m. at the BI-LO Center. The Road Warriors will be celebrating Valentine’s Day with special games and promotions throughout the evening. Group seating remains available for the game and you can call 864-674-PUCK to book your group outing and save off the box office price, receive preferred seating based on availability, and enjoy other great benefits.
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