GOING FOR THE CLINCHER 

GREENVILLE, SC – The Greenville Road Warriors host the Elmira Jackals in Game Four of their best-of-five Eastern Conference Quarterfinals series at 7:35 p.m. at the BI-LO Center. The Road Warriors lead the series two games to one and can advance with a win tonight.

RECAPPING THE ACTION:

4/5/11 – GRW 5 – ELM 2

The Greenville Road Warriors had a strong effort on the power play and took a 1-0 series lead for their efforts. Scores by Jimmy Kilpatrick and Brandon Wong in the first period staked Greenville to a 2-0 advantage in the game. Kilpatrick’s goal came with a 5-on-3 advantage and Wong scored with one second left in a 5-on-4. Elmira’s Justin Donati trimmed the lead to one early in the second but Brendan Connolly and Mark Voakes tallied for Greenville to pad the lead to 4-1 heading into the third. Nic Riopel notched 13 saves on 14 shots to keep Greenville comfortably ahead and Marc-Olivier Vallerand potted an empty-net goal with 16 seconds remaining to seal the win.

4/6/11 – GRW 3 – ELM 6

The Road Warriors were shorthanded a season-high 11 times and could not overcome the Jackals’ offensive firepower which left the series even at one game each. After Eric Lampe opened the scoring just over five minutes in, the Road Warriors answered with first-period goals by Brendan Connolly (PP) and Sam Klassen to take a 2-1 lead. That lasted until the final minutes of the second when Justin Donati knotted the game at two each. In the third, Elmira scored four times, including two empty-netters and a 5-on-3 PPG, and the Road Warriors could not rally from the deficit. Mark Voakes brought the Road Warriors within one at 18:25 but that was as close as they would get. Nic Riopel sustained the loss while making 25 saves.

4/8/11 – GRW 2 – ELM 0

In the first ECHL playoff game at the BI-LO Center in five years, the Road Warriors gave the home fans plenty to cheer about as they took the series lead. Chris Beckford-Tseu‘s 18-save effort highlighted the win and Chris McKelvie’s first professional playoff goal provided all the offense Greenville would need. After killing off a pair of early Jackals power plays, McKelvie won a defensive zone faceoff that led to a 2-on-1 rush with Marc-Olivier Vallerand. Vallerand’s pass hit McKelvie in the slot and he whipped a shot past Marco Cousineau for a 1-0 Greenville lead. Greenville had to kill off four penalties in the second period, including 42 seconds of a 5-on-3, to keep the lead in tact. The Road Warriors then turned in a masterful defensive effort in the third period and limited Elmira to three shots on goal. Sam Klassen added an empty net score with 26 seconds left to play and sealed the win.

WHAT’S ON TAP FOR TONIGHT:

The Greenville Road Warriors and Elmira Jackals tangle in Game Four of their best-of-five Eastern Conference Quarterfinals series tonight. The Road Warriors earned a split of the first two games in Elmira with a 5-2 win in Game One and a 6-3 loss in Game Two while last night’s 2-0 win put Greenville within a game of advancing. Greenville has been shorthanded for a total of 23 times in the series including 11 times in Game Two. The Road Warriors are 22-for-23 on the penalty kill in the series and are 4-for-16 with the man advantage. Overall Greenville is 2-1-0 at home against Elmira.

Greenville ranks third in the league in power play percentage during the playoffs at 25 percent. They are also tops with four power play goals in three games. They are fourth in the league on the penalty kill at 95.7 percent and have allowed one power play goal. However, the Road Warriors have been shorthanded more times, 23, than any other team in the playoffs. In the regular season Greenville was shorthanded the sixth fewest times in the league at 318 and had the sixth most power play chances at 349. Greenville’s 11 times shorthanded in Game Two were its most in the regular season or playoffs.

– 12 Road Warriors players are playing in the Kelly Cup Playoffs for the first time. Nine of those are rookies.

– Five of the seven first-round series in last year’s Kelly Cup Playoffs went all five games with the higher seed winning two.

– Greenville’s offense featured five different players that registered at least 50 points in the regular season. The only team with more was Kalamazoo (6).

– Last night’s shutout was Greenville’s fourth including the regular season. When limiting opponents to two goals or less the Road Warriors have a 33-3-0 record.

– The Road Warriors are 8-2-0 in their last 10 home games dating back to March 4, 2011. They have out-scored opponents 40-23 over that stretch and recorded two shutouts.

The block party is back! Be sure to get to the BI-LO Center at 5:00 p.m. for another Road Warriors playoff block party with music from RetroVertigo, half-priced beer, and hot dogs from Como’s Pete’s. Hot dogs are free to fans with the purchase of a Road Warriors playoff game program. Group tickets are still available for tonight’s game for groups of 10 or more and feature discounts off the box office price and preferred seating based on availability. Groups can book by calling 864-674-PUCK. Individual tickets are on sale through the BI-LO Center Box Office and all Ticketmaster outlets.