WARRIORS CRUSH GLADIATORS 

VERSUS     

DULUTH, GA – Superlative special teams play and solid goaltending helped lead the Greenville Road Warriors to a 4-1 win over the Gwinnett Gladiators on Sunday evening. The win sent the Road Warriors into the Christmas break with a 20-6-2 record.

As thrilling as Friday’s overtime win over Gwinnett was, the Road Warriors did not want to wait so long to register their first goal of the night. On Sunday evening Jimmy Kilpatrick ensured that there wouldn’t be so much uncertainty as to when the first goal would come. Kilpatrick scored his first goal since November 26 in Kalamazoo to give Greenville a 1-0 lead at 15:20 of the first. The power play goal was assisted by Blake Parlett and Mark Voakes. Dov Grumet-Morris had to be at his best in the first as a couple of breakdowns led to great chances for Gwinnett. He made a diving arm save on Tim Miller with the game still tied at zero, and after Greenville had grabbed the lead he went post-to-post to snuff out a power play chance for Aaron Bendickson. In total Grumet-Morris made 14 saves in the period.

More strong special teams play in the second by Greenville allowed the Road Warriors to extend their lead to 3-0 heading into the third. The period was littered with penalties including fighting majors issued to Chris McKelvie and Pat Galivan. Each club had five power plays in the frame, and that was fine by the Road Warriors who picked up a power play and a shorthanded score. Kilpatrick nabbed his second man-advantage goal at 6:12 of the second by deflecting home a shot by Justin Bowers. Voakes earned the secondary assist to pick up his second assist of the night. Later, with Gwinnett on a power play, Connor Shields took off up ice on a 2-on-1 with Marc-Olivier Vallerand who hammered home a one-timer for his fourth shorthanded goal of the season. The goal came at 14:57 and was Vallerand’s 13th of the season. Grumet-Morris denied seven Gladiator shots to keep Greenville in front.

One night after staging a furious rally in an attempt to come back from a 3-0 third-period deficit against South Carolina, Gwinnett looked primed to make another run, this time against the Road Warriors. Michael Forney scored his sixth goal of the season, fourth against the Road Warriors, by tipping a shot from Tim Miller past Grumet-Morris. The goal came at 15:37 of the third, and shortly after Cullen Eddy took a roughing minor and left the Road Warriors shorthanded. Greenville prevailed, though, and killed off the penalty. Just after exiting the box, Eddy took a loose puck at center and led the charge into the Gwinnett zone. He hit Shields trailing on the play and the second-year center out of Dartmouth wristed a shot past Sauer with 56 seconds left to play. The goal was Shields’ seventh of the season and quelled the Gladiators’ comeback bid.

Grumet-Morris earned his 12th win of the season with 31 saves. The Road Warriors were 2-for-8 on the power play and 8-for-8 on the penalty kill.

Mark your calendars! The Road Warriors are back on home ice to take on the South Carolina Stingrays on Monday, December 27 at 7:05 p.m. at the BI-LO Center. The Road Warriors will be hosting the Upstate’s biggest Christmas gift exchange at the game. You can bring unwanted gifts to the game and trade them in for a different gift! Any unclaimed gifts will be donated to Goodwill. Great group seats are available for your group of 10 or more. Call 864-674-PUCK to talk to a Road Warriors group sales representative.