ROAD WARRIORS WEEKLY #22: 3/14/11-3/20/11 

GREENVILLE, SC – The Greenville Road Warriors earned three out of a possible four points in a two-game mini-series at Florida last weekend and inched ever closer to clinching their first Kelly Cup Playoff berth. This weekend they play host to the Cincinnati Cyclones for a three-game series at the BI-LO Center.

Record: 38-21-4, 80 pts., 1st place South Division

Leaders:

Goals – Marc-Olivier Vallerand: 24

Assists – Mark Voakes: 37

Points – Mark Voakes: 54

+/- – Brendan Connolly: +20

PIMs – T.J. Reynolds: 187

PPG – Jimmy Kilpatrick: 10

SHG – Marc-Olivier Vallerand: 4

Wins – Nic Riopel: 20

GAA – Dov Grumet-Morris: 2.32

SVP – Dov Grumet-Morris: .922

This Week:
3/17, 3/18, & 3/19 vs. Cincinnati 7:05 p.m. – Home (0-0-0), Away (0-0-1)

The Road Warriors had a memorable night on February 25 the first time they ever took to the ice against the Cyclones. It was Dean Stork’s first game back at US Bank Arena after helping the Cyclones capture the 2010 Kelly Cup as an assistant coach. It also marked the return of former Cyclones Jimmy Kilpatrick, Mark Voakes, and Chris Clackson. All received a warm reception from the Cincinnati fans, but the reception on the ice wasn’t as kind. Greenville battled back from a third-period deficit to take a 3-2 lead on goals by Shane Harper and Brendan Connolly. That lead lasted until 26 seconds remained in regulation when Dustin Sproat tipped a Barrett Ehgoetz shot past Cameron Talbot. In the extra session T.J. Fast converted a power play goal at 2:07 to give the Cyclones the win. The three games in Greenville will wrap up a seven-game southern trip for the Cyclones, while the Road Warriors will be playing their second home three-in-three of the month.

Day by Day:
Mon. 3/14: Off
Tues. 3/15: Off

Wed. 3/16: Practice at The Pavilion, 8:30 a.m.

Thurs. 3/17: Road Warriors vs. Cyclones, 7:05 p.m.

Fri. 3/18: Road Warriors vs. Cyclones, 7:05 p.m.
Sat. 3/19: Road Warriors vs. Cyclones, 7:05 p.m.

Sun. 3/20: Off

Day-by-Day schedule subject to change.

Broadcast Schedule:
Thurs. 3/17: Road Warriors vs. Cyclones, 7:05 p.m. – 104.9 FM Radio Broadcast

Fri. 3/18: Road Warriors vs. Cyclones, 7:05 p.m.
Sat. 3/19: Road Warriors vs. Cyclones, 7:05 p.m.

All Road Warriors radio broadcasts can be heard online for free courtesy of America One. Point your browser to www.greenvilleroadwarriors.com and click “Listen Live” to join Ray Schmitt on the broadcasts. Road Warriors fans can also watch Internet TV broadcasts of the games by clicking here. All broadcasts begin 15 minutes prior to face off with the Road Warriors Pregame Show. Fans can also email Radio Ray and have their questions read during the broadcast! Send your questions to grwradioray@gmail.com.

Last Week: (1-0-1)

3/12 at Florida: L 3-4 OT

The Road Warriors fought tooth-and-nail to make it to overtime and pick up a point against the Everblades on Saturday night. Florida jumped on the board first on a power play goal by Mathieu Roy at 15:55 of the first period. The lead could have been bigger, but Nic Riopel made a save on a Dusty Collins breakaway earlier in the frame. Florida’s lead was wiped out by Chris Clackson’s goal with 58 seconds remaining in the second period. His backhand shot from the right wing was set up by Brendan Connolly and T.J. Reynolds. In the third, the teams traded goals with Florida grabbing leads of 2-1 and 3-2, but the Road Warriors answered each time less than 30 seconds later. Alex Hutching’s shorthanded goal at 10:30 briefly broke the tie until Jimmy Kilpatrick potted a power play score 14 seconds later. In the waning minutes Matt Beca scored on Riopel from in tight only to have Connolly knot the score at three 16 seconds after Beca’s tally. Beca had the final word, though, with his winning score, on a delayed penalty call, at 2:55 of overtime.

3/13 at Florida: W 6-3

Of the seven prior games at Germain Arena between the Road Warriors and Everblades, five had been decided by one goal and three went to overtime. Sunday’s game provided no such dramatics as the Road Warriors scored three times in a 1:59 span during the first period to wrangle control of the game. Chris Clackson opened the barrage at 9:14 with a power play goal then Marc-Olivier Vallerand at 10:55 and Jimmy Kilpatrick at 11:13 followed with goals as Greenville raced out to a three-goal lead. Brad Snetsinger scored his first of three goals on the night at 13:22 and trimmed the Road Warriors’ lead to two. In the second, though, Shane Harper deftly set up Brendan Connolly on a two-on-one at 8:53 and Greenville was back up by three. Snetsinger made it 4-2 at 14:54, but the Road Warriors answered back with Wes Cunningham scoring at 15:08 and giving them a three-goal advantage heading into the third. Snetsinger capped his hat trick, and gave the ‘Blades life, with a power play goal at 6:39 of the third that made the score 5-3. Justin Bowers, though, who already had four assists in the game, finished off a five-point night with a power play goal at 12:03 that restored Greenville’s three-goal advantage at 6-3. Nic Riopel made 23 saves and earned his 20th win of the season.

ONE-TIMERS:
Scoring Streaks:
Goals:

·    C. Clackson, 2 games (2G); 3/12-3/13

·    B. Connolly, 2 games (2G); 3/12-3/13

·    J. Kilpatrick, 3 games (3G); 3/6-3/13

Assists:

·    B. Parlett, 3 games (4A); 2/11-2/15

·    J. Brouillette, 2 games (2A); 12/10-12/11

·    W. Cunningham, 5 games (8A); 3/4-3/13

·    M. Schepke, 2 games (2A); 3/5-3/6

·    B. Connolly, 3 games (4A); 3/4-3/6

·    J. Bowers, 3 games (7A); 3/6-3/13

·    B. Wong, 2 games (2A); 3/12-3/13

Points:

·    J. Brouillette, 2 games (2G, 2A); 12/10-12/11

·    B. Parlett, 3 games (1G, 3A); 2/11-2/15

·    W. Cunningham, 5 games (2G, 8A); 3/4-3/13

·    J. Kilpatrick, 9 games (5G, 5A); 2/22-3/13

·    J. Bowers, 4 games (2G, 7A); 3/5-3/13

·    M. Schepke, 2 games (1G, 2A); 3/5-3/6

·    B. Connolly, 6 games (5G, 5A); 2/27-3/13

·    C. Clackson, 7 games (4G, 3A); 2/19-3/13

·    B. Wong, 2 games (2A); 3/12-3/13

Quick Hits:

· Wes Cunningham ranks second among ECHL defensemen in points with 36 (7G, 29A). He has 22 points from the beginning of February through last week’s games and is averaging two points per game in March.

· Greenville’s 18 road victories are tied with Las Vegas, Reading, and Utah for the most in the league. Their 104 road goals trail only Kalamazoo (107) and Toledo (108).

· The Road Warriors have scored eight power play goals in their last four games and rank fifth in the ECHL with 57 power play goals on the season. Jimmy Kilpatrick leads the Road Warriors with 10 PPG.

· The Road Warriors’ magic number to clinch a playoff berth is five. Any combination of the ninth place team in the conference losing points and the Road Warriors gaining points trims that number. The magic number to clinch the South Division is seven.

· Brandon Wong and Shane Harper lead the Road Warriors in first goals with five while Greenville tops the ECHL in first goals with 39 and wins when scoring first at 29.

Mark your calendars! Don’t forget about these upcoming promotions:
3/17 vs. Cincinnati, 7:05: Join the Road Warriors for Dollar Drink Thursday at the BI-LO Center. What better way is there to spend Saint Patrick’s Day than with the Road Warriors enjoying select draught beers and fountain drinks for $1? The Road Warriors will also debut their St. Patty’s Day jerseys this night.

3/18 vs. Cincinnati, 7:05: This game is your final chance to take advantage of the SPINX Friday Family Four-Pack. The special deal gets you four tickets, four hot dogs, four fountain drinks, four bags of chips, and four pretzels for just $48! The SPINX Friday Family Four-Pack can be purchased through the BI-LO Center Box Office during regular business hours – 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. The Road Warriors will don their St. Patty’s Day jerseys for the second straight game.

3/19 vs. Cincinnati, 7:05: It’s the final night to catch the Road Warriors wearing their special St. Patty’s Day green jerseys. There will be a live auction of the jerseys following the game and you could take home your favorite player’s jersey right off of his back. The Road Warriors will also hold a pre-game ceremony to present Dean Stork with his championship ring from the 2010 Kelly Cup championship he won with Cincinnati.