VERSUS 
GREENVILLE, SC – The Road Warriors‘ Mark Voakes scored his sixth game-winning goal of the season with just over a minute left in overtime to lift the Road Warriors to a 3-2 win in their only meeting this season against the Trenton Devils at the BI-LO Center on Friday night. The victory improved Greenville’s record to 36-20-3 for the season.
Greenville’s fourth-ranked offensive attack opened the first period with a flurry of shots and gave Trenton goalie Dave Caruso a stern test. Not even two minutes into the opening period Shane Harper slapped a rebound past Caruso during a scrum in front of the net. Marc-Andre Bourdon registered his first ECHL point with the assist on the play. Both teams saw plenty of time in the penalty box during the rest of the period, in which there a total of five power play opportunities between the two teams. The Road Warriors out-shot the Devils 12-6 and were 2-for-2 on the penalty kill including 53 seconds of a 5-on-3.
In the second, the Road Warriors’ defense was not as tight and allowed the Devils to sway the momentum. Greenville put seven shots on goal early, but Trenton took advantage of the hosts’ inability to clear the puck from in front of their own net. The Devils’ Ryan Ginard, the third leading scorer in the ECHL, managed to slip the puck past Nic Riopel at 5:41 to tie the score at one. The goal was unassisted. Both defenses began to settle in as the period progressed and the mood began to get a little chippy. Bourdon further endeared himself to the home fans by dropping the gloves with Myles Stoesz a little over midway through the period after an initial penalty by Trenton’s Tony Zancanaro for holding. Greenville was unable to gain any momentum with the power play, and it was Trenton that benefited from a Road Warrior turnover, which led to a one-on-one shorthand opportunity for the Devils’ Kory Nagy. Nagy beat Riopel high for his ninth goal of the season and gave the Devils’ a 2-1 lead. The goal was unassisted. Greenville was outshot 16-13 in the frame, but went 3-for-3 on the penalty kill.
The third period showcased both defenses’ ability to control the puck. Both Greenville and Trenton were unable to take advantage of the few opportunities they had through much of the period. Fortune turned in the Road Warriors’ favor as they received a 4-on-3 power play when Trenton’s Trevor Kell was called for interference with 2:49 remaining in the game.
Greenville’s Jimmy Kilpatrick answered the prayers of all the Road Warriors’ fans in attendance on “Church Night”, capitalizing on the power-play when he blasted a rebound shot past Caruso to knot the score at two and eventually send the game into overtime. Kilpatrick’s goal was his 13th extended his point streak to five games (2G, 3A). Wes Cunningham and Brendan Connolly recorded assists on the play. Greenville out-shot Trenton 9-6 and was 1-for-1 on the power play.
Mark Voakes took a perfect pass from Bourdon to beat Caruso for the game-winner at 3:55 in overtime. Vallerand made a sweep behind the net before Bourdon got into the mix and found Voakes for the winning goal. Greenville out-shot Trenton 4-0 in overtime.
Riopel stopped 26 of 28 shots to earn his 18th victory of the season. The Road Warriors ended the night 1-for-5 on the power play and 5-for-5 on the penalty kill.
Mark your calendars! The Road Warriors will return home to the BI-LO Center to battle the Elmira Jackals on Saturday, March 5 at 7:05 p.m. Saturday is “Pucks for Pups” night presented by Camp Bow-Bow and Road Warrior fans can bring their own dogs with them to the game. There will also be a pre-game ceremony to honor a few former Greenville Grrrowl players. The Road Warriors will be remembering the Grrrowl all night and have a special appearance from Grrruff! Tickets are still available and groups of 10 or more qualify for discounts off of the box office price, preferred seating based on availability, and other great benefits. Call 864-674-PUCK to speak to a Road Warriors group sales representative.
