RAYS STUNG BY ROAD WARRIORS 

VERSUS      

By: Ray Schmitt, Voice of the Greenville Road Warriors

GREENVILLE, SC – The Greenville Road Warriors won their fifth straight home game and Jason Missiaen made it three straight wins for himself with his first professional shutout on Friday night. The 3-0 win over South Carolina at the BI-LO Center improved Greenville to 13-8-0 on the season.

Click here for Friday’s box score. 

For the second straight game the Road Warriors were able to grab the lead with the first goal of the game. Unlike last night they didn’t have to wait until the second period thanks to Kale Kerbashian’s fourth of the season at 9:02. Brendan Connolly’s 14th of the season put Greenville up 2-0 as he tipped a shot by Marc-Olivier Vallerand at 15:20. Both Road Warriors goals came at even strength, but they weren’t without power play chances in the first. They had a 25-second 5-on-3 advantage but couldn’t convert while up by two men or one. Jason Missiaen made his second straight start for the Road Warriors and made 13 saves in the first. Philipp Grubauer, meanwhile, had 11 for South Carolina.

In the second, Connolly returned the favor to Vallerand as he set up his ninth goal of the season 9:19 in. Vallerand’s one-timer past Grubauer lifted Greenville to a 3-0 advantage. South Carolina was limited to five shots in the first 17 minutes of the period, but a late surge produced five shots on could and a couple quality scoring chances. Missiaen was up to task on each shot he faced and kept the Road Warriors’ three-goal lead intact.

Missiaen stole the show in the third period as he turned in 15 saves to keep the Stingrays at bay. He was tested most near the midway point of the frame when Greenville was faced with 1:55 of a 5-on-3 South Carolina power play. Despite the constant pressure, the Road Warriors were able to hang on and kill off the entire power play. Greenville managed five shots against Grubauer in the third, but could not extend the lead. The best chance came in a 2-on-1 rush by Kerbashian and Vallerand, but Grubauer made a sparkling glove save on Vallerand’s wrister.

Missiaen finished the night with 38 saves as he earned his third straight victory. The Road Warriors were 0-for-5 on the power play and 6-for-6 on the penalty kill.

Mark your calendars! The Road Warriors return home to face the Florida Everblades on Friday, December 16 at 7:35 p.m. at the BI-LO Center. It will be the Road Warriors second-annual Teddy Bear Toss where fans get to throw stuffed animals on to the ice after Greenville scores its first goal of the game. All tossed toys will be donated to WSSL 100.5’s Stuff the Truck event which benefits Toys for Tots. You can save on your tickets for the game by getting the Spinx Family Four-Pack (4 – tickets, hot dogs, bags of chips, and fountain drinks for $48) or by bringing a group of 10 or more to the game. Call 864-674-PUCK (7825) for more info or to book your group.