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ECHL Greenville Swamp Rabbits

Banwell Lifts Road Warriors Past Wheeling in Overtime

February 28, 2015 - ECHL (ECHL)
Greenville Swamp Rabbits News Release


Wheeling, WV - Mike Banwell scored the game-winning goal in overtime on Saturday as the Greenville Road Warriors (30-22-3), proud ECHL affiliate of the New York Rangers and the AHL's Hartford Wolf Pack, knocked off the Wheeling Nailers, 4-3, in an eventful contest at WesBanco Arena.

The game included goals from Emerson Clark, Domenic Alberga and Vinny Saponari, as well as the ejection of Nailers' head coach Clark Donatelli.

With the victory, the Road Warriors jumped to fourth place in the East Division standings, one point ahead of the Elmira Jackals for the final playoff spot. In addition, Greenville improved to 14-13-3 on the road and 3-1-0 against Wheeling this season.

Following a back-and-forth first period that saw 14 combined shots but no goals, Clark opened the scoring at 5:29 of the middle frame with his 14th goal of the season. Bretton Cameron created the chance when he kicked the puck to Clark at the right post, who hammered it past goaltender Eric Hartzell for the 1-0 advantage.

Less than a minute later, the Nailers evened the game on the power play courtesy of Jean-Sebastien Dea's third goal of the season. Following a tripping minor accessed to Andrew Himelson, Jarrett Burton won the ensuing face-off and slipped the puck to Zach Torquato, who fed a cross-ice pass to Dea for a one-time goal at 6:11.

Wheeling took its first lead of the game at 7:40 of the second period when Derek Army beat goaltender Jason Missiaen from the left side for his 20th goal this season.

The Road Warriors bounced back at the 15:28 mark of the middle frame courtesy of Alberga's first professional goal, in just his second appearance. Saponari set the play up when he pushed a pass across the goal mouth to Alberga at the back door, who finished to tie the contest at 2-2. Saponari, who along with Chris McCarthy earned an assist, also extended his point streak to a career-high eight games since Feb. 13th (5g, 12a).

The second period ended in interesting fashion when Saponari continued his success and scored the go-ahead goal with just 0.5 seconds remaining. From the doorstep, Saponari slipped a backhand shot underneath Hartzell for his 16th goal of the season, while Wheeling's bench argued the horn had already sounded. Following a heated exchange between Donatelli and the officials, he was assessed a game misconduct and ejected.

Wheeling responded with the only goal of the third period at 6:19 when Burton tipped home Riley Brace's shot from the right wing for his eighth of the season. Down the stretch, the Nailers nearly won the game in regulation when Devon Krogh was tabbed for a high-sticking minor with just 2:14 to play, but Greenville's penalty kill came through and blanked the 5-on-4 advantage.

In overtime, Banwell beat Hartzell on a wrist shot from the left half-wall to score the game-winner at the 2:31 mark. It was Banwell's first goal of the season.

The Road Warriors finished the game 1-for-4 on the power play and 5-for-7 on the penalty kill. Missiaen (12-10-2) made 27 saves in the victory, while Hartzell stopped 23 shots in the loss.

Wheeling outshot Greenville 30-27.

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.

Don't Miss Out! The Road Warriors return to SANDLAPPER Securities Rink at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena for a three-game "True Blue Weekend" homestand March 6-8. It all kicks off with a celebrity appearance on Friday, March 6th when the Warriors face off against the Florida Everblades at 7:00 p.m. Musical sensation, Delvin Choice, who finished in the Top 8 on Season 6 of NBC's "The Voice," will sing the National Anthem. In addition, the first 1,000 fans in attendance will receive a special edition Road Warriors True Blue T-shirt presented by FOX Carolina and Whistle 100. The popular Warrior Fun Pack is available for this game and includes (4) red level tickets, (4) hot dogs, (4) bags of chips, (4) small fountain drinks and (2) Warriors' drawstring bags for just $60!

On Saturday, March 7th, the Road Warriors will rematch against the Everblades at 7:00 p.m. and the first 1,000 fans through the doors will receive a blue Warriors mesh hat courtesy of FOX Carolina and WESC 92.5. In addition, fans will have the opportunity to meet ECHL Hall of Fame Inductee and Commissioner Emeritus, Patrick J. Kelly as well as get an up close look at the ECHL's championship trophy, the Kelly Cup! Fans can meet Mr. Kelly, get autographs and have their picture taken with one of the ECHL's true icons and the trophy named in his honor!

True Blue Weekend wraps up on Sunday, March 8th when the South Carolina Stingrays visit Greenville at 3:00 p.m. The Warrior Fun Pack will also be available for this matinee game and fans can take part in the final post-game skate with the team this season!

For tickets or more information, please call a Road Warriors Account Executive at 864-674-PUCK or visit GreenvilleRoadWarriors.com/tickets-overview.html ! Go to ECHL.TV to listen for free or watch the games live.

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