BY: Ray Schmitt, Voice of the Greenville Road Warriors
GREENVILLE, SC – The Greenville Road Warriors announced today that they have added defenseman Brent Cornelius and goaltender John Nauta, and that goaltender Nic Riopel has been loaned to Bridgeport of the American Hockey League.
Cornelius comes to Greenville from the Idaho Steelheads to complete the future considerations portion of the transaction that saw goalie Jerry Kuhn sent from Greenville to Idaho. A 6-1, 185-pound defender, Cornelius is in his first season of professional hockey. He began the season with HC Dornbas of Russia’s second-tier professional hockey league before signing with Idaho on December 16, 2011. In six games with the Steelheads Cornelius earned two assists and a +6 rating. Prior to turning pro, he played four seasons at Iowa State University, an American Collegiate Hockey Association team, and split two seasons of United States Hockey League play between Cedar Rapids and Tri-City.
Nauta, a rookie from Rancho Bernardo, California, was added as an emergency backup goalie. He has four games of major junior experience with the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League‘s Chicoutimi Sagueneens in 2008-09. Last season he skated with the New Jersey Hitmen of the Eastern Junior Hockey League and went 23-2-2.
The roster spot became available to Nauta after Riopel received his first promotion of the season to the AHL. He joins the Sound Tigers after building an 11-3-1 record with the Road Warriors. The second-year pro was the ECHL Goalie of the Week for the week ending November 13, 2011 after going 2-0-0 with a 1.44 goals-against average and a .954 save percentage. He is 7-13-0 in the AHL over parts of two seasons with the Adirondack Phantoms.
Mark your calendars! The Road Warriors return home to face the Florida Everblades on Thursday, December 29 at 7:35 p.m. at the BI-LO Center. Come out for a Throwback Thursday which features $2 draft beers, fountain drinks, hot dogs, and pretzels. College students can also get in for $6 with a valid college ID. Throwback Thursdays are sponsored by WSSL 100.5, The Greenville News, and New Rock 93.3. You can also save on your tickets by bringing out a group of 10 or more! The Road Warriors offer discounts off the box office price and preferred seating based on availability to groups who book in advance. Call 864-674-PUCK (7825) for more info or to book your group.
