GREENVILLE, SC – The Greenville Road Warriors travel tonight to North Charleston for a divisional clash with the South Carolina Stingrays. At stake for the Road Warriors is a South Division title and two points which would vault them over the Reading Royals and into first place in the Eastern Conference.
RECAPPING THE ACTION:
3/19/11 – GRW 1 – CIN 3
The Road Warriors could not overcome a pair of third period goals by Cincinnati’s Barret Ehgoetz and dropped the final game of their three-game series against the Cyclones. After a scoreless first period, Cincinnati was able to grab a 1-0 lead very early in the second. Brendan Connolly sustained a slashing minor late in the first, and a delay of game minor to Marc-Olivier Vallerand 43 seconds into the second put the Cyclones on a 5-on-3. Brian O’Hanley cashed in a goal three seconds into the advantage with a slap shot from the left wing. Cincinnati had multiple chances on the power play to extend the lead, but stellar goaltending by Chris Beckford-Tseu kept Greenville within striking distance. Starting with a boarding major to Woody Klassen at 7:04, the Road Warriors were shorthanded for nearly nine consecutive minutes including nearly a full minute of a 5-on-3 disadvantage. With some blocked shots and big saves the Road Warriors survived the challenge and were able to tie the game late in the third period. Brendan Connolly set up Shane Harper’s 17th of the season with eight minutes to play and the Road Warriors drew even on the scoreboard. It only took Cincinnati 1:15 to respond as Ehgoetz whistled a shot past Beckford-Tseu high to the glove side for the game winner. Ehgoetz added an empty-net goal with 37 seconds to play to salt away the victory. Beckford-Tseu had 22 saves on the night.
3/19/11 – S.C. 0 – WHL 3
The Stingrays wrapped up a three-game northern trip in much the same way the Road Warriors finished their home stand. After winning the first two games South Carolina fell flat in the third and was shut out by the Wheeling Nailers at WesBanco Arena. It was the second, and final, time the Stingrays and Nailers met this season and the second time the Nailers held the Stingrays without a goal. Peter Delmas played goal to perfection for the Nailers on the night and denied each of the 17 shots South Carolina sent his way. Nine players in the Stingrays line up registered shots on goal, but only Trent Campbell (4) had more than two. Chris Kushneriuk scored his first professional goal for the game winner at 16:56 of the first period while Joey Haddad added a pair of insurance scores at 10:09 and 13:56 of the second period. Wheeling’s offense went cold in the third and managed just two shots while South Carolina more than doubled its shot production from the first two periods with nine attempts. It wasn’t nearly enough, however, to pull off a comeback.
WHAT’S ON TAP FOR TONIGHT:
The Road Warriors and Stingrays meet tonight in the 16th edition of the Palmetto State Rivalry with the South Division championship hanging in the balance. A Road Warriors win tonight would clinch the top spot in the division and home ice in the first round of the playoffs. The Road Warriors are trying to snap a four-game losing streak in the North Charleston Coliseum that dates back to December 31, 2010. Greenville has been out-scored 14-5, including one shutout, over that span. Greenville’s second-ranked defense (2.73 GAA) will try to out-duel South Carolina’s third-ranked defense (2.81 GAA).
Through the early portion of their second-half schedule the Road Warriors struggled to string wins together and had a record of 6-9-0 through their first 15 games. But a win over S.C. on Feb. 18 started to turn things around and since that 3-1 victory the Road Warriors have gone 9-3-2 and have not lost by more than two goals in any game. Greenville has been strong on the road over that stretch with a 3-1-2 mark, an average of 3.5 goals per game, and a team goals-against average of 2.83.
– Greenville is the only team in the ECHL with a top-five offense (3.45/gm, 4th), and top-five defense (2.73/gm, 2nd).
– Greenville ranks eighth in PP opportunities at 324 and eighth in PPG with 59. Road Warriors have 10 PPG in their last 8 games.
– Andrew Rowe is averaging 2.67 shots per game and with three goals on 16 shots has a shooting percentage of 18.7 which is tops among active Road Warriors skaters.
– The Road Warriors have given up 13 goals (2.6/game) over their last five road games. Their overall road GAA of 2.96 is third best in the ECHL.
-As a member of the Florida Everblades last season, Chris Beckford-Tseu was 6-2-1 against the South Carolina Stingrays. In four of those games he held S.C. to two goals or less.
Mark your calendars! The Road Warriors return to home ice to battle the Reading Royals on Thursday, March 24 at 7:05 p.m. at the BI-LO Center. It will be another Dollar Drink Thursday with select draught beers and fountain drinks on sale for just $1! Group seating remains available for the game with discounts off of the box office price, preferred seating based on availability, and other great benefits. To book a group outing call a Road Warriors representative at 864-674-PUCK.
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