GREENVILLE, SC – The Greenville Road Warriors will hope to invoke the luck of the Irish on St. Patrick’s Day as they don special green jerseys for the opener of a three-game series against the Cincinnati Cyclones. Tonight is the second of four meetings on the season between the Road Warriors and the defending Kelly Cup champions.
RECAPPING THE ACTION:
3/13/11 – GRW 6 – FLA 3
Of the seven prior games at Germain Arena between the Road Warriors and Everblades, five had been decided by one goal and three went to overtime. Sunday’s game provided no such dramatics as the Road Warriors scored three times in a 1:59 span during the first period to wrangle control of the game. Chris Clackson opened the barrage at 9:14 with a power play goal then Marc-Olivier Vallerand at 10:55 and Jimmy Kilpatrick at 11:13 followed with goals as Greenville raced out to a three-goal lead. Brad Snetsinger scored his first of three goals on the night at 13:22 and trimmed the Road Warriors’ lead to two. In the second, though, Shane Harper deftly set up Brendan Connolly on a two-on-one at 8:53 and Greenville was back up by three. Snetsinger made it 4-2 at 14:54, but the Road Warriors answered back with Wes Cunningham scoring at 15:08 and giving them a three-goal advantage heading into the third. Snetsinger capped his hat trick, and gave the ‘Blades life, with a power play goal at 6:39 of the third that made the score 5-3. Justin Bowers, though, who already had four assists in the game, finished off a five-point night with a power play goal at 12:03 that restored Greenville’s three-goal advantage at 6-3. Nic Riopel made 23 saves and earned his 20th win of the season.
3/15/11 – CIN 4 – GWT 3
The Cyclones staved off a furious Gwinnett rally to hang on for a one-goal win on Tuesday night and improve to 4-0-0 on their seven-game southern road trip. Cincinnati never trailed in the game thanks to Barret Ehgoetz opening the scoring with his 15th goal of the season 5:38 into the game. Gwinnett’s Matt Francis tied the game two minutes later, but the Gladiators surrendered three consecutive goals to the Cyclones and lost touch through the third period. Brady Calla put the Cyclones back in front at 17:14 of the first with his seventh of the season then Jake Hauswirth (2:34 of 2nd, 12th) and Mike Liambas (2:43 of 3rd, 1st) followed to build the lead to 4-1. Gwinnett trimmed the deficit to one with goals by Devin Timberlake and Matt Duffy late in the third, but the tying goal never came. Brian Foster earned the win in net for the Cyclones by posting 33 saves.
WHAT’S ON TAP FOR TONIGHT:
Greenville and Cincinnati renew acquaintances tonight after meeting for the first time on February 25 in Cincinnati at US Bank Arena. It was the first time back for Dean Stork after helping Cincinnati capture the 2010 Kelly Cup as an assistant coach. The reunion wasn’t particularly enjoyable for the Road Warriors as they suffered a 4-3 overtime loss on T.J. Fast’s power play goal. The Cyclones enter this game in the midst of a seven-game southern road trip and entered the week with a 12-3-1 record against the South Division.
Road Warriors defenseman Wes Cunningham set a career-high with four points (1G, 3A) in Sunday’s 6-3 win over the Florida Everblades. That effort was part of a white-hot month of March in which he has 9 points (2G, 7A) in five games. His production has vaulted Cunningham to second among ECHL defensemen in points with 35 (7G, 28A). If his strong play continues, he could be the third Road Warriors defenseman to lead the league in points this season after Julien Brouillette (23) and Blake Parlett (31).
– Greenville is the only team in the ECHL with a top-five offense (3.48/gm, 3rd, and top-five defense (2.78/gm, 2nd).
– Greenville has eight PPG in its last four games and ranks fifth in the league with 57 PPG this season.
– The Road Warriors’ magic number to clinch a playoff spot is 3 points. The magic number to clinch the South Division, and home ice advantage, is 7 points.
– Jimmy Kilpatrick’s current nine-game point streak (5G, 5A) is his longest of the season. His goal on March 6 vs. Elmira was his 150th ECHL point.
– Greenville’s 20 home wins are tied for the most in the conference while the Road Warriors’ home defense is the best in the conference with 77 goals allowed.
Tonight the Road Warriors debut their special St. Patrick’s Day jerseys which will be worn all weekend and auctioned off live following the game on Saturday. Fans also get to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with a Dollar Drink Thursday at the BI-LO Center! Select draught beers and fountain drinks will be on sale during the game for just $1! Group seating is still available for groups of 10 or more. Groups receive discounts off of the box office price, preferred seating based on availability, and other great benefits. Outings can be booked by calling the Road Warriors at 864-674-PUCK.
Related
Mitch Beck
Related posts
Top picks
WOLF PACK INK DEFENSEMAN NATE KNOEPKE TO PTO
By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack HARTFORD, CT – New York Rangers Assistant General Manager and Hartford Wolf Pack General Manager Ryan Martin announced today that the club has signed defenseman Nate Knoepke to a professional tryout agreement (PTO). Knoepke will join the Wolf Pack…
WOLF PACK SEND BRANDON SCANLIN TO NY
By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack HARTFORD, CT – New York Rangers President and General Manager Chris Drury announced today that the club has recalled defenseman Brandon Scanlin from the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack. Scanlin, 24, has appeared in 57 games with the Wolf Pack…
WOLF PACK WEEKEND RECAP: MARCH 18th, 2024
By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack HARTFORD, CT—The Hartford Wolf Pack dropped their fifth straight contest on Sunday evening, falling 4-0 to the Hershey Bears. This is the second time this season that the Wolf Pack has suffered five consecutive losses. The team packed up…
GARAND STOPS 31 WOLF PACK STILL LOSE TO CHECKERS 2-1
By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack CHARLOTTE, NC – Dylan Garand turned in a terrific performance on Tuesday night, stopping 31 shots to help the Hartford Wolf Pack bank a point at the Bojangles Coliseum. Ultimately, it would not be enough as the Checkers prevailed…
WOLF PACK INK DEFENSEMAN NATE KNOEPKE TO PTO
By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack HARTFORD, CT – New York Rangers Assistant General Manager and Hartford Wolf Pack General Manager Ryan Martin announced today that the club has signed defenseman Nate Knoepke to a professional tryout agreement (PTO). Knoepke will join the Wolf Pack…
WOLF PACK SEND BRANDON SCANLIN TO NY
By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack HARTFORD, CT – New York Rangers President and General Manager Chris Drury announced today that the club has recalled defenseman Brandon Scanlin from the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack. Scanlin, 24, has appeared in 57 games with the Wolf Pack…
WOLF PACK WEEKEND RECAP: MARCH 18th, 2024
By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack HARTFORD, CT—The Hartford Wolf Pack dropped their fifth straight contest on Sunday evening, falling 4-0 to the Hershey Bears. This is the second time this season that the Wolf Pack has suffered five consecutive losses. The team packed up…
RANGERS AGREE TO TERMS WITH LOUIS DOMINGUE
By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack NEW YORK, March 10, 2024 – New York Rangers President and General Manager Chris Drury announced today that the team has agreed to terms with goaltender Louis Domingue on a one-year contract extension. Domingue, 32, has appeared in 24 games…
CYCLONES FALL SHORT IN TOLEDO AGAINST WALLEYE
Remy Parker scores in his professional debut By: Dana Grey, Cincinnati Cyclones TOLEDO, OH – The Cyclones fell to the Walleye 4-3 inside the Huntington Center Friday night. Cincinnati drops to 4-6-2-0 against Toledo in the regular season series. Three Cyclones forwards made their pro…
SOMOZA LEADS SWAMP RABBITS TO ROAD TRIP SWEEP
Greenville goes four-for-four on the road with a 2-1 win over Savannah; the magic number at 15 for playoffs By: Mark Binetti, Greenville Swamp Rabbits SAVANNAH, Ga. – Ethan Somoza rifled a laser at 7:53 of the second period to break a 1-1 deadlock and,…
SWAMP RABBITS WIN NAIL-BITER AGAINST ORLANDO
Greenville wins three of three on the road trip with one game remaining; the magic number to clinch now 17 By: Mark Binetti, Greenville Swamp Rabbits ORLANDO, Fla. – Ben Freeman broke a 1-1 deadlock late in the second period, and Jacob Ingham stopped all…
SWAMP RABBITS GOALIE INGHAM GETS NHL DEAL
Net-minder signs one-year, two-way deal; assigned to Swamp Rabbits By: Mark Binetti, Greenville Swamp Rabbits LOS ANGELES, Calif. – The Los Angeles Kings, NHL affiliate of the Greenville Swamp Rabbits, announced today the team has signed Swamp Rabbits goaltender Jacob Ingham to a one-year, two-way…