VERSUS 
ESTERO, FL – It took over 10 minutes and 12 shooters, but the Greenville Road Warriors prevailed in a dramatic shootout to pick up a 4-3 win over the Florida Everblades on Saturday night. The win improved the Road Warriors‘ record to 29-16-2 on the season.
In the first two games of the three-game set with the Everblades Jimmy Kilpatrick had been the most productive Road Warriors forward with a goal and two assists. He kept the momentum going on Saturday night with a first-period power play goal that staked the Road Warriors to a 1-0 lead. A point shot by Blake Parlett was kicked down in front of Florida goalie Bobby Goepfert and before he could readjust, Kilpatrick took the loose puck and slipped it across the line. Shane Harper also assisted to get back on the score sheet one night after his 11-game point streak was snapped. Greenville’s lead could have been bigger, but Jacob Lagace hit the post with a wrist shot early on in the frame, and then on his next shift had a potential breakaway nullified by a diving poke check from David Fisher. Nic Riopel turned away each of the five shots he saw from the Everblades to keep Greenville’s lead in tact.
After just one power play was issued in the first period, the bad blood between the Road Warriors and Everblades started a chain reaction of penalties and power plays in the second period. Each team had two power play chances and a scrap broke out at the end of the second. Neither team was able to convert a power play into a goal, but Ethan Graham did put a slap shot past Riopel at 12:54 of the second to tie the game at one. The shorthanded goal was Graham’s second of the season with assists going to Francis Lemieux and Ross Carlson. Greenville’s defense and goaltending held the fort from there, but at the end of the second a scrum broke out that saw Brad Cole fight Mike McKenzie and matching roughing minors issued to T.J. Reynolds and Bobby Raymond.
The third period provided some of the most entertaining hockey the Road Warriors have played in this season as the two teams exchanged a pair of goals each and left the game headed to overtime and an epic shootout. Florida built up a 3-1 lead thanks to a pair of goals from Alex Hutchings. The first came as he finished off a 2-on-1 rush with Lemieux at 6:47 and the second was a redirect of a Bobby Raymond pass at 8:56. Down by a pair, the Road Warriors wasted no time in starting the comeback. Just 32 seconds after Hutching’s second goal, Andrew Carroll converted a Florida turnover into the Road Warriors’ second goal of the night and his eighth of the season. The tying goal came from Carroll, as well, with the Road Warriors on the power play at the 14:57 mark. Greenville survived a late power play by the Everblades to earn the point for making it to overtime.
After neither team could score in the sudden-death frame, it took a shootout to award the bonus point. And what a shootout it was as 12 shooters were required to decide the winner. Greenville twice faced elimination in the sudden-death portion of the shootout but Jacob Lagace extended it in the bottom of the ninth and, on his second shot, Voakes slid a backhander through Goepfert’s five-hole. Riopel’s ninth save of the shootout came against Hutchings in the bottom of the 12th and set the stage for Lagace to be the hero. Coming straight down the slot, Lagace deked to the backhand and lifted his shot past a prone Goepfert. The goal gave the Road Warriors their third shootout win in four tries this season.
Riopel made 28 saves through regulation and overtime and was 9-for-12 in the shootout as he picked up his 12th win of the season. The Road Warriors were 2-for-6 on the power play and 3-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.
