Malcolm and Saponari Return to Road Warriors
December 17, 2014 - ECHL (ECHL)
Greenville Swamp Rabbits News Release
Greenville, SC - The Greenville Road Warriors, proud ECHL affiliate of the New York Rangers and the AHL's Hartford Wolf Pack, today announced goaltender Jeff Malcolm and forward Vinny Saponari have been reassigned to Greenville from Hartford.
Malcolm (11-4-0) returns to the Road Warriors as one of the top goaltenders in the ECHL this season. The 25-year old currently ranks second in the league with a 2.13 goals against average, third amongst league netminders with a .929 save percentage and just one win shy of the league's top spot.
A majority of Malcolm's early-season success has come on SANDLAPPER Securities Rink at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena. In six appearances at home, he is a perfect 6-0-0 with a 1.48 goals against average and a .943 save percentage. He has also notched one shutout, a 3-0 victory over South Carolina in the home opener.
During his call-up with Hartford, Malcolm made one appearance and earned a 35-save victory over the Bridgeport Sound Tigers on Dec. 12th. It was his second career AHL win.
A native of Lethbridge, Alberta, Malcolm spent 27 games with the Road Warriors last season and posted a 13-9-3 record with a 2.90 goals against average and .912 save percentage. He also started six games with Hartford, where he recorded his first professional win on Nov. 27, 2013, a 4-1 win against Portland. Overall, Malcolm went 1-3-0 with a 2.85 goals against average and .888 save percentage with the Wolf Pack in 2013-14.
Prior to turning pro, the 6'2, 179-pound netminder played four seasons at Yale University, where he finished second among Eastern Colligate Athletic Conference (ECAC) goaltenders in wins (20) during his senior campaign in 2012-13. He completed his collegiate career by posting a 36-save shutout in the national championship game to backstop the Bulldogs to their first-ever Frozen Four title. Overall, Malcolm appeared in 67 games at Yale and earned a record of 36-21-4 with a 2.60 goals against average, a .907 save percentage and six shutouts.
A second-year pro, Saponari leads the Road Warriors with 17 points and a +13 rating through the first 25 games this season. He is also second on the club in both goals (7) and assists (10). Most notably, Saponari earned a career-high four assists in his 100th professional game on Dec. 5th against Orlando.
During his call-up with Hartford, the 24-year old played three games and registered one assist. He was signed to an AHL contract with the Wolf Pack on September 9, 2014.
Last season, Saponari recorded a career-best 33 points (15g, 18a), 14 penalty minutes and a +11 rating in 58 games with the AHL's Milwaukee Admirals. He also made 14 appearances with the Cincinnati Cyclones and notched 11 points (1g, 10a), four penalty minutes and a +3 rating. The Powder Springs, Georgia native made his professional debut near the end of the 2012-13 campaign with the AHL's St. John's IceCaps, where he produced two points (1g, 1a) in seven games.
Prior to turning pro, the 6'1, 195-pound forward split his collegiate career between Boston University (2008-2010) and Northeastern University (2011-13). During his freshman season at Boston in 2008-09, he earned 17 points (8g, 9a) and 44 penalty minutes, and helped capture the 2009 NCAA Championship. He also played one season of junior hockey in the United States Hockey League (USHL) for the Dubuque Fighting Saints in 2010-11. In 56 regular-season games, he tallied 64 points (18g, 46a) and a +17 rating, with an additional nine points (5g, 4a) in 11 playoff contests, to help Dubuque win the 2011 Clark Cup Championship.
Saponari was drafted in the fourth round (#94 overall) by the Atlanta Thrashers in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.
Follow: Keep up with the Road Warriors all season long and interact with other fans on the Official Road Warriors Facebook, Twitter, Pintrest and Instagram pages.
Greenville continues a five-game road trip tonight with a 7:35 p.m. puck drop against the Cincinnati Cyclones at U.S. Bank Arena. Go to ECHL.TV to listen for free or watch the game live.
The Road Warriors return to SANDLAPPER Securities Rink at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena on Friday, Dec. 26th for a 7:00 p.m. face-off against the Gwinnett Gladiators. Dec. 26th is Greenville's "White Elephant Gift Exchange Night". Bring a wacky gift to the game, make sure to disguise it, and the gifts will be exchanged during the intermissions! The popular "Warrior Fun Pack" is also available for the December 26th game! The Warrior Fun Pack includes (4) Red Level tickets, (4) hot dogs, (4) bags of chips, (4) fountain drinks and (2) Warriors drawstring bags. For tickets or more information, please call a Road Warriors Account Executive at 864-674-PUCK or visit GreenvilleRoadWarriors.com/tickets-overview.html !
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