VERSUS 
By: Ray Schmitt, Voice of the Greenville Road Warriors
CINCINNATI, OH – The Greenville Road Warriors gave head coach Dean Stork his first win as a head coach in his old building with a 4-3 shootout win over Cincinnati on Tuesday night. The win improved Greenville to 9-7-0 for the season.
Click here for tonight’s box score.
Cincinnati came out guns blazing in the first period and registered the first five shots on goal, but Nic Riopel was dialed in early and kept the Cyclones from claiming the lead. It took the Road Warriors slightly more time to get their offense on track, but once it got in gear they were putting heavy pressure on Cincinnati goalie Chet Pickard. Greenville finally broke through with just over 16 seconds remaining in the period as Brendan Connolly one-timed his eighth goal of the season past Pickard. Jeff Prough and Jyri Niemi registered the assists.
The Road Warriors tacked on a pair of goals in the second period to build their lead up to 3-1 by the intermission, but it was Riopel who stole the show with an acrobatic save. Anthony Luciani was set up on the back door with just over five minutes to play and it looked like he had the entire net to shoot for. But a diving attempt by Riopel led to a spectacular stick save that kep the Road Warriors ahead by two. Cincinnati had tied the score with a power play goal from Jonathan Hazen at 6:21, but 33 seconds later, Brett Robinson jammed home a loose puck to restore Greenville’s lead. Kale Kerbashian padded it to two with his third of the season at 12:01.
The Cyclones stormed the Greenville net in the third period and tacked on a pair of goals to knot the score. Daniel Koger punched home a rebound 2:54 into the period and a fluke goal at the side of the net by Kevin Swider at 7:02 drew Cincinnati even. Anthony Luciani hit the cross bar twice in the third and just missed tying the game, and Riopel turned in a handful of strong saves as well.
At the end of regulation, the Cyclones were assessed a penalty but with 1:10 of power play time in overtime the Road Warriors were held at bay and could not seal the victory. The roles swapped then with Cincinnati grabbing a 4-on-3 advantage with 2:08 left in OT, but Riopel and Greenville’s penalty killers shut the door. The Road Warriors’ goaltender pulled out five more saves in the shootout and Justin Bowers scored the lone goal to lift Greenville to the 4-3 victory.
Riopel made 40 saves in earning his ninth win of the season. Greenville was 0-for-4 on the power play and 4-for-5 on the penalty kill.
Mark your calendars! The Road Warriors return home to face the Gwinnett Gladiators on Thursday, December 8 at 7:35 p.m. at the BI-LO Center. Come out for the Road Warriors’ Throwback Thursday which features $2 draft beers, fountain drinks, pretzels and hot dogs, and $6 tickets for college students with a valid ID. Throwback Thursdays are sponsored by WSSL 100.5, The Greenville News, and New Rock 93.3. Don’t forget about great group packages that get you discounts off of the box office price and preferred seating based on availability. Fans can call 864-674-PUCK (7825) to speak to a Road Warriors ticket representative and book their group outing.
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