BY: Rat Schmitt, Voice of the Greenville Road Warriors
GREENVILLE, SC – This week the Greenville Road Warriors play four games in five days to finish their season-long seven game road trip. The schedule includes two games in Cincinnati against Road Warriors head coach Dean Stork’s former team.
Record: 8-7-0, 16 pts., 4th place South Division
Leaders:
Goals – Jeff Prough: 10
Assists – Justin Bowers: 12
Points – Jeff Prough: 18
+/- – Jeff Prough: +3
PIMs – Brendan Connolly: 40
PPG – Jeff Prough: 5
SHG – Brendan Connolly: 1
Wins – Nic Riopel: 8
GAA – Nic Riopel: 2.69
SVP – Nic Riopel: .916
Previewing the Upcoming Week:
11/29 & 12/3 at Cincinnati – 7:35 p.m., Home vs. CIN 0-0-0, Away vs. CIN 0-0-0
This week’s two games in Cincinnati will cover half of Greenville’s away games against the Cyclones this season. They also mark the return of former Cyclones Brett Robinson and coach Dean Stork. Robinson recorded 50 points (21G, 29A) in 83 games over two seasons with the Cyclones, and he scored the Kelly Cup-clinching goal in Game Five of the finals in 2010 against the Idaho Steelheads. Stork was an assistant coach for four seasons in Cincinnati and was behind the bench for the 2008 and 2010 championships. The Road Warriors are 0-0-1 in their history at US Bank Arena and are 2-1-1 overall against the Cyclones. Cincinnati has played the fewest home games (5) in the ECHL but is 4-0-1 on home ice.
11/30 at Kalamazoo – 7:00 p.m., Home vs. KAL 0-0-0, Away vs. KAL 0-0-0
Wednesday night is the first of four meetings between the Road Warriors and Wings – two each in Kalamazoo and Greenville. The Wings are the defending Eastern Conference champions, but Greenville had a 3-2-0 record against them last season including a 2-1-0 mark at Wings Stadium. Greenville’s offense has thrived in Kalamazoo and the Road Warriors are averaging 6.3 goals per game at Wings Stadium in their history. Kalamazoo enters the week as the second place team in the North Division with a 10-5-1 record, and is 6-2-0 at home.
12/2 at Toledo – 7:00 p.m., Home vs. TOL 1-0-0, Away vs. TOL 0-0-0
The Road Warriors began their six-game season series with the Walleye with a 4-3 win in Greenville on November 3. This Friday they return to the Huntington Center for the first time since a 3-0 win on February 26, 2011. The Road Warriors are 3-0-0 against the Walleye in their history which includes a 2-0-0 mark in Toledo. Nick Vitucci‘s club is in third place in the North Division to begin this week with a 7-9-0 record. Five of the Walleye’s seven victories have come on home ice, but Toledo has had difficulty keeping opponents from putting up goals in its building. The Walleye have surrendered 34 goals in nine home games which averages out to 3.8 per game.
Day-by-Day Schedule:
11/28/11 – Practice at US Bank Arena, 1:30 p.m.
11/29/11 – Pre-game practice at US Bank Arena, 11:15 a.m.
Road Warriors at Cincinnati, 7:35 p.m.
11/30/11 – Pre-game practice at Wings Stadium, 11:15 a.m.
Road Warriors at Kalamazoo, 7:00 p.m.
Road Warriors Watch Party at Bailey’s Sports Grille – 2409 Laurens Rd., 7:00 p.m.
12/1/11 – Practice at Huntington Center, TBD
12/2/11 – Pre-game practice at Huntington Center, 11:15 a.m.
Road Warriors at Toledo, 7:00 p.m.
12/3/11 – Pre-game practice at US Bank Arena, 11:15 a.m.
Road Warriors at Cincinnati, 7:35 p.m.
12/4/11 – Off
* Denotes an appearance/event that is not open to the general public. Media members, however, are welcome to attend these events to report on the Road Warriors and their community involvement. Please contact Ray Schmitt at 864-293-2025 or ray.schmitt@greenvilleroadwarriors.com to coordinate covering Road Warriors practices or community appearances. The Road Warriors’ schedule is subject to change. It is recommended to contact the Road Warriors to confirm times of certain events, particularly practices.
Road Warriors Broadcast Information
All Greenville Road Warriors games are broadcast live online courtesy of America One. You can listen to every game for free by clicking on the “Listen Live” link located on the Road Warriors’ home page – www.greenvilleroadwarriors.com. You can also visit www.americaone.com to find the Road Warriors internet TV broadcasts. The Road Warriors Pre-Game Show kicks off every broadcast 15 minutes prior to faceoff.
Recapping Last Week:
11/27 at South Carolina: L 1-4
Former Stingray Jeff Caister scored his first goal of the season against his former team, but it wasn’t enough offense for the Road Warriors to pick up the win. Danick Paquette provided the bulk of the offense for the Stingrays as the second-year pro cashed in two goals including the game winner at 15:17 of the first period. Chris Higgins also had a mult-point game with an empty net goal in the waning moments of the third, and an assist on Trent Campbell’s first-period goal. Nic Riopel sustained his second loss of the season as he stopped 24 shots on the night.
Quick Hits:
* The Road Warriors were 13-3-1 against the North Division last season. Kalamazoo and Cincinnati (2) have the most wins against the Road Warriors of any of the current North Division teams while Toledo and Kalamazoo (3) have been beaten by Greenville the most.
* Road Warriors forward Brett Robinson is three games away from playing his 100th in the ECHL. Tuesday night will be his first game against his former team, the Cincinnati Cyclones. Robinson is the seventh former Cyclone that has played for Greenville under head coach, and former Cincinnati assistant, Dean Stork.
* Road Warriors forward Jeff Prough is two goals away from 100 for his ECHL career. He would become the 169th player in the history of the ECHL to reach that milestone. He is currently tied for fifth in the league with 10 goals and is tied for second with five power play goals.
* Greenville is 1-2-0 on its current seven-game road trip. The Road Warriors are averaging 2.2 goals per game away from the BI-LO Center and have been held to one goal in their last two away games.
* Road Warriors defenseman Jyri Niemi is fourth among team defenders with three assists on the season. Niemi has reached that ranking in just five games while the three defenders ahead of him (Wes Cunningham, Cullen Eddy, and Francis Meilleur) have all played at least 11 games.
Upcoming Events:
Thursday, Dec. 8: Road Warriors vs. Gwinnett Gladiators, 7:35 p.m. – Throwback Thursday Presented by WSSL 100.5, The Greenville News, and New Rock 93.3. Come out to enjoy $2 draught beers, $2 fountain drinks, $2 hot dogs, and $2 pretzels. Also, any college student with a valid ID gets in for just $6.
Friday, Dec. 9: Road Warriors vs. South Carolina Stingrays, 7:35 p.m. – Spinx Family Four Pack. The Spinx Family Four Pack gets you four tickets, four hot dogs, four bags of chips, and four fountain drinks all for just $48!
Friday, Dec. 16: Road Warriors vs. South Carolina Stingrays, 7:35 p.m. – Teddy Bear Toss and Spinx Family Four Pack. Bring a new, or gently used, stuffed animal to the game and throw it onto the ice after the Road Warriors score their first goal! All tossed toys will be donated to charity. The Spinx Family Four Pack gets you four tickets, four hot dogs, four bags of chips, and four fountain drinks all for just $48!
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