GREENVILLE, SC – The Greenville Road Warriors announced today that goaltender Nic Riopel has signed with the team. He is expected to travel with the Road Warriors for the two road games in Gwinnett this weekend.
Riopel, 22, went 24-12-2 with Greenville as a rookie in 2010-11, and won the first game in Road Warriors history. He finished the season with a 2.79 goals-against average, a .906 save percentage and two shutouts. Riopel’s 24 victories led the Road Warriors and were fourth most in the ECHL last season. He won ECHL Goalie of the Week honors twice for the weeks of Oct. 25-31 and Feb. 21-27. Riopel also played 11 games with the American Hockey League’s Adirondack Phantoms in 2010-11 and went 3-7-0 with a 3.55 goals-against average and a .874 save percentage.
Riopel had been in training camp this season with the AHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs prior to signing with the Road Warriors. The former Moncton Wildcat of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League set the league record for goals-against average in a season at 2.05 in 2008-09. He won the Jacques Plante Memorial Trophy for the league’s lowest goals-against average that season as well as the Michel Briere Memorial Trophy as the QMJHL’s Player of the Year. In 2009-10, Riopel helped Moncton win the QMJHL championship and advance to the Memorial Cup.
Mark your calendars! The Road Warriors are back on home ice on Friday, October 28 to do battle with the Florida Everblades. Faceoff is set for 7:35 p.m. at the BI-LO Center. It’s a Spinx Friday Family Four Pack night where you can get four tickets, four hot dogs, four bags of chips, and four fountain drinks for just $48! Great group seats are also available for your group of 10 or more. Groups get great discounts off the box office price and preferred seating based on availability. Call 864-674-PUCK (7825) to book your group outing today.
