GREENVILLE LOOK TO BEDEVIL TRENTON 

GREENVILLE, SC – The Greenville Road Warriors kick off the final month of their schedule tonight with their first, and only, game of the season against the Trenton Devils. Off the ice, Church Night and a free post-game concert by MyCalvary highlight the evening’s promotions.

RECAPPING THE ACTION:

2/27/11 – WHL 2 – GRW 4

Last Sunday the Road Warriors were playing their third game in three days (fourth in six) and were in their fourth city in six days. So it was understandable that the offense took a while to get going, but once it was on track the sailing was smooth. Wheeling took advantage of its first power play of the game with a goal from Sebastien Bisaillon at 11:18 of the first period. In that frame Greenville was limited to just four shots on goal to Wheeling’s nine and had trouble generating quality scoring chances. The shot total improved in the second period and Greenville had a 10-5 advantage in the period. Despite the heavier workload Wheeling’s Patrick Killeen held the Road Warriors at bay and forced Nic Riopel to be spot on with his five saves to keep his club within striking distance. And strike it did in the third. In the first 4:09 of the third the Road Warriors received goals from Sean Berkstresser (1:19, 5th), Brendan Connolly (2:39, 14th), and Mark Voakes (4:09, 16th) to vault into the lead. Wheeling’s offense could not strike again until just 26 seconds remained in regulation, but Connolly potted an empty-net goal first with 40 seconds left to salt away the victory. Riopel won his second straight start by notching 23 saves.

2/27/11 – TRE 3 – ELM 4

A shaky day on the penalty kill doomed the Devils last Sunday in a game at First Arena against the Elmira Jackals. Matt Vokes put Trenton on the board first at 11:49 of the first period and, with 17 saves from Jeff Lerg, that lead lasted to the first intermission. An untimely penalty for too many men on the ice late in the first allowed Elmira a power play to begin the second period and the host team wasted hardly any time in converting. Yannick Tifu tied the score at one with just 28 seconds gone by in the frame. Then at 4:03 Drew Paris netted Elmira’s second power play goal of the game and was followed by Justin Donati with yet another PPG at 11:45. The Devils were held to just four shots in the frame and the three penalties that they took in the second were partly to blame. Conversely, Trenton was shorthanded just once in the third and battled back to tie the score. At 2:07 Jeremy Akeson potted his 11th of the season to pull the Devils within one and then it was Vokes’ second of the night to tie the score at three with 15:48 left to play. With time winding down, though, Tifu’s second of the night proved to be the game winner. Lerg put forth a valiant effort with 30 saves, but sustained his 10th loss of the season.

WHAT’S ON TAP FOR TONIGHT:

Tonight night marks the first-ever meeting, and only one of the season, between the Road Warriors and Trenton Devils. Trenton is the second Atlantic Division team the Road Warriors have faced this season after going 1-1-0 against the Reading Royals in Reading in late January. The Devils feature the ECHL’s third-highest scorer in Ryan Ginand who has already established new career highs in goals (25), assists, (38), and points (63). The Devils have played the South Division tough this season and have a 3-5-4 record against the South. The Devils boast a solid offensive attack and average 3.14 goals per game, but have also given up the second-most goals in the league so far with 208 (3.65 per game).

Road Warriors fans will get to welcome back a trio of players who have not seen game action at the BI-LO Center in quite some time. Forwards Brendan Connolly, Justin Bowers, and Matt Schepke are all scheduled to be in the Road Warriors’ lineup this evening. For Schepke, it will be his first game back since suffering an upper body injury in Gwinnett on November sixth. Since then the second-year forward from Michigan State has missed 51 games. He had four points (2G, 2A) in seven games before his injury and scored the first goal in Road Warriors’ history on opening night. Connolly, return from lower body injury, and Bowers, returned from the AHL, both rejoined the Road Warriors last week during their northern road trip. Connolly played all three games and scored twice in Sunday’s visit to Wheeling while Bowers had an assist in two games. Connolly and Bowers had each been out of the lineup since helping the Road Warriors to a 4-3 shootout win over South Carolina on December 29.

In February, the Road Warriors showcased their ability to score late in games with 24 third-period goals and it helped them pick up eight wins, (three when trailing in the third) over the month. Greenville ranks second in the league in third-period goals with 67 on the season. They also lead the league in first goals with 35 and have the fifth-best win percentage when scoring first (.757).

Tonight is also the second-to-last SPINX Friday Family Four-Pack night. This special deal gets you four gold-level seats, four hot dogs, four fountain drinks, four bags of chips, and four pretzels all for just $48. The SPINX Friday Family Four-Pack can be purchased through the BI-LO Center Box Office which is open now until game time. Group tickets also are available tonight for groups of 10 or more. Group outings include discounted tickets, preferred seating based on availability and other great benefits. Call 864-674-PUCK to speak to a Road Warriors group sales representative.