VERSUS 
GREENVILLE, SC –The Greenville Road Warriors started off 2011 on the right foot with a 5-1 win at home over the Wheeling Nailers on Sunday evening. The win improved Greenville’s record to 23-7-2 on the season.
After suffering a shutout against South Carolina the game before, the Road Warriors quickly erased any worries of a repeat performance tonight. Wes Cunningham connected with a wrist shot from the left wing for his first goal of the season 1:49 into the game. The goal was set up by Jimmy Kilpatrick and Mark Voakes. Kilpatrick had a helper on Greenville’s second goal thanks to a cross-ice feed that hit Blake Parlett on the right wing. The rookie defensemen placed a wrister just over the glove of Patrick Killeen and under the crossbar at 8:34 of the first. The Road Warriors continued to pour on the offense at 10:03 with Marc-Olivier Vallerand’s 14th of the campaign. From almost the exact same spot as Kilpatrick’s second assist, Sean Berkstresser fed Vallerand on the doorstep for a laser-quick one-timer that also beat Killeen high to the glove side. Greenville’s Dov Grumet-Morris successfully defended five Wheeling shots in the period for a 3-0 Road Warriors lead at the break.
Wheeling did what it could to chip away at the Road Warriors’ lead in the second. Following a successful penalty kill, Dan Henningson took off on a breakaway as he exited the penalty box. The Nailers defender beat Grumet-Morris five hole for his third goal of the season 6:30 into the period. The goal was hardly the end of Wheeling’s challenge in the period as Grumet-Morris faced a heavy workload of 11 shots. Only Henningson could squeeze one through, though, and Greenville remained ahead after 40 minutes of play. Killeen turned in seven saves for the Nailers in the period to keep his club within striking distance heading into the third.
Greenville couldn’t keep Wheeling from testing Grumet-Morris often in the third and the 28-year-old goalie faced 13 shots in the period. He was up to task at each turn, however, and Greenville’s offense did its part to provide some breathing room. In his first home game, rookie defenseman Lee Baldwin scored his first ECHL goal by finishing off a 2-on-1 with Connor Shields at 7:35. Kilpatrick sprung the rush with an outlet pass and earned his third assist of the night. Later, on Greenville’s seventh power play of the game, Berkstresser batted home a rebound from the slot and picked up his third goal of the season. The goal came with 44 seconds remaining on the clock and allowed Greenville to play comfortably to the final horn.
Grumet-Morris posted his 15th win of the season with 28 saves. The Road Warriors went 1-for-8 on the power play and 5-for-5 on the penalty kill.
Mark your calendars! The Road Warriors’ next few home games feature great ways to save on a night out. On January 6 against Gwinnett and January 13 against Florida the games will feature the popular Dollar Drink Thursday promotion. Fans can grab select fountain drinks and draught beers for just $1! Then on Friday, January 14 fans can take advantage of the Friday Family Four-Pack which features four tickets, four hot dogs, four sodas, four bags of chips, and four pretzels for $48. You can also save by booking a group outing for your group of 10 or more by calling 864-674-PUCK. Besides ticket discounts, groups also receive preferred seating based on availability and other great benefits.
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