Early Goal Not Enough in 2-1 Setback to Gwinnett
April 2, 2015 - ECHL (ECHL)
Greenville Swamp Rabbits News Release
Greenville, SC - The Greenville Road Warriors (35-29-4), proud ECHL affiliate of the New York Rangers and the AHL's Hartford Wolf Pack, opened the scoring just 1:35 into the first period on Thursday, but surrendered back-to-back goals to rookie Daniel Bahntge as the Gwinnett Gladiators (19-43-6) exited the Bon Secours Wellness Arena with a 2-1 win. Bahntge's tallies were the first of his professional career in just his fourth game.
Following the setback, the Road Warriors (74 points) are five points behind Orlando for the final playoff spot in the East Division with four games left in the regular season. The Solar Bears lost to South Carolina in a shootout tonight. Greenville also suffered just its second loss to Gwinnett this season (6-2-0).
The Road Warriors struck first in the early stages of the opening frame when Anthony Luciani beat goaltender Mike Lee directly after a faceoff in the Gladiators' zone. On the right side, Vinny Saponari won the draw and immediately pushed the puck Lucani, who sent a quick wrist shot over the blocker of Lee for his team-leading 25th goal of the season. Saponari earned the lone helper and is now tied for second on the Road Warriors' all-time single season assists list with 45 (Marc-Olivier Vallerand, '12-13).
Despite Greenville's early goal, the Gladiators were not rattled and answered just 18 seconds later with Bahntge's first professional goal. Brock Higgs began the rush on the left wing and entered the zone before Bahntge caught a pass on the right side and sniped a shot past goaltender Jeff Malcolm from the circle at the 1:53 mark.
Bahntge continued his success towards the end of the second period and notched the game-winner at the 15:09 mark. From the left point, Zach Yuen settled the puck and pushed a low shot towards the doorstep that Bahntge tipped past the left toe pad of Malcolm.
The contest included one fight at 17:04 of the first period when Mike Banwell peppered Jeff Silengo with shots from his right fist and wrestled him to the ice.
Greenville finished the game 0-for-2 on the power play and 1-for-1 on the penalty kill. Malcolm (16-10-1) made 30 saves in the setback, while Lee (3-10-2) stopped 34 shots in the victory.
The Road Warriors outshot Gwinnett 35-32. It was the eighth consecutive game that Greenville has outshot its opponent.
-
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.
Next Game: The Road Warriors return to SANDLAPPER Securities Rink at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena tomorrow at 7:00 p.m. for "Superhero Night" and an appearance by NFL quarterback and former Clemson Tiger standout, Tajh Boyd! Boyd will be available to meet fans and sign autographs during the first intermission outside of Section 117 on the Bon Secours Wellness Arena concourse. "Superhero Night" will also feature appearances by Captain America, Batman, Superman, Spiderman, Wonder Woman and Elsa! Families can take advantage of a great deal for the game by purchasing the Fantastic Four Pack! Get four (4) tickets, four (4) hot dogs, four (4) bags of chips, four (4) fountain drinks and two (2) Warriors drawstring bags for JUST $60! Fantastic Four Packs can be purchased by CLICKING HERE .
For tickets or more information, please call a Road Warriors Account Executive at 864-674-PUCK or visit GreenvilleRoadWarriors.com/tickets-overview.html F ans can also listen or watch the game live via ECHL.TV .
ECHL Stories from April 2, 2015
- Early Goal Not Enough in 2-1 Setback to Gwinnett - Greenville Swamp Rabbits
- Stingrays Prevail 2-1 over Solar Bears in Marathon 15-Round Shootout - South Carolina Stingrays
- Gladiators Edge by Road Warriors, 2-1 - Atlanta Gladiators
- Reign Fool Condors in 8-3 Victory - Ontario Reign
- Jackals Add Two in Fort Wayne - Elmira Jackals
- Final Specialty Jerseys to be Worn this Weekend - Idaho Steelheads
- ECHL Transactions - April 2 - ECHL
- Alaska's Connolly Named CCM ECHL Player of the Month - ECHL
- Schneider, Jessey Sign ECHL Deals with Fuel - Indy Fuel
- Americans Host Military Night this Friday - Allen Americans
- Condors Unveil New Primary Logo for Move to AHL in 2015-16 - Bakersfield Condors
- Weekly Weather Report: The Weekly News and Notes of the Stockton - Stockton Thunder
- Brace, Renwick Are AMI Graphics ECHL Plus Performers of the Month - ECHL
- Fort Wayne's Faille Named CCM ECHL Rookie of the Month - ECHL
- Preview: Warriors and Gladiators Clash in Final Three-Game Set - Greenville Swamp Rabbits
- Komets' Faille Named ECHL Rookie of the Month - Fort Wayne Komets
- Evan Renwick Named Co-Recipient of ECHL Plus Performer of the Month - Alaska Aces
- Blain and Chelios Return from AHL - Kalamazoo Wings
- South Carolina's Jakaitis Named Warrior Hockey ECHL Goaltender of the Month - South Carolina Stingrays
- South Carolina's Jakaitis Named Warrior Hockey ECHL Goaltender of the Month - ECHL
- Gladiators Game Preview: Gladiators at Road Warriors - Atlanta Gladiators
- ECHL Today - April 2 - ECHL
- Come Pack the House - Toledo Walleye
- Stingrays Game Preview: East Division Points on the Line Tonight as Stingrays Visit Solar Bears - South Carolina Stingrays
- Road trip record falls to 5-3-0 in series finale in Boise - Alaska Aces
- Playoff Hopes Stay Alive in 4-3 Shootout Win vs. Allen - Wichita Thunder
- Rush Clinch Playoff Spot with 4-1 Win over Mavericks - Rapid City Rush
- Condors Fooled Late by Ontario - Bakersfield Condors
- Travis Fullerton Sets Team Record in Win over Wheeling - Elmira Jackals
- No Foolin' - Steelheads Shut out Aces - Idaho Steelheads
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
