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Greenville Swamp Rabbits

Greenville Road Warriors Game Preview - March 19

March 19, 2011 - ECHL (ECHL)
Greenville Swamp Rabbits News Release


GREENVILLE, SC - Tonight the season series between the Greenville Road Warriors and Cincinnati Cyclones wraps up with a 7:05 p.m. faceoff at the BI-LO Center. Greenville has won two of three previous meetings between the clubs and is looking for its third straight win over the Cyclones.

RECAPPING THE ACTION:

3/18/11 - GRW 5 - CIN 0

The Road Warriors offense came in bursts on Friday night, but the defense was smothering throughout and newcomer Chris Beckford-Tseu made 27 saves in his Road Warriors debut to pick up the win. Before the game was two minutes old the Road Warriors had grabbed a 2-0 lead. Marc-Olivier Vallerand potted a power play goal for his team-leading 25th goal at 1:12 to stake the Road Warriors to a one-goal advantage. Forty seconds later Matt Schepke doubled the advantage with his fourth of the season. Eleven saves by Beckford-Tseu in the period kept Greenville ahead by two heading into the second. In the middle period a pair of goals less than a minute apart increased Greenville's lead to four. Andrew Rowe began the barrage at 15:17 by pouncing on a rebound and then Schepke scored from close range 57 seconds later for his second of the night. Chris Chappell finished the scoring with a power play tally at 17:27 and notched his seventh of the campaign. Greenville's limited Cincinnati to five shots in the frame, none of which beat Beckford-Tseu who earned his first shutout of the season - Greenville's sixth.

WHAT'S ON TAP FOR TONIGHT:

Greenville and Cincinnati wrap up their season series tonight with their third game in as many days here at the BI-LO Center. The Road Warriors have earned five of a possible six points from the Cyclones so far thanks to a 5-0 win last night. It was the first meeting between the clubs that wasn't decided in overtime and snapped Cincinnati's streak of five consecutive games with at least one standings point earned. The Road Warriors' win last night improved them to 2-0-0 at home against the Cyclones and 13-2-1 overall against North Division opponents.

Through the early portion of their second-half schedule the Road Warriors struggled to string wins together and had a record of 6-9-0 through their first 15 games. But a win over S.C. on Feb. 18 started to turn things around and since that 3-1 victory the Road Warriors have gone 9-2-2 and have not lost by more than two goals in any game. Greenville has been particularly strong at home over that stretch with a 7-1-0 mark, an average of 4.4 goals per game, and a team goals-against average of 2.25.

- Greenville is the only team in the ECHL with a top-five offense (3.49/gm, 3rd), and top-five defense (2.72/gm, 2nd).

- Greenville has 10 PPG in its last six games and ranks fourth in the league with 59 PPG this season.

- The Road Warriors' win last night clinched their first-ever playoff berth. The magic number to clinch the South Division, and home ice advantage, is 3 points.

- Jimmy Kilpatrick's current 11-game point streak (5G, 10A) is his longest of the season. He needs one more point to establish a new career high for points in a season.

- Greenville's 22 home wins are the most in the conference while the Road Warriors' home defense is the best in the conference with 79 goals allowed.

Join the Road Warriors tonight as they will hold a post-game jersey auction of their St. Patrick's Day-themed jerseys. Fans can bid live on their favorite player's jersey and the winning bidders get to take the jersey home with them right off of the player's back! The Road Warriors are also planning a pre-game ceremony to recognize coach Dean Stork and forward Jimmy Kilpatrick and their 2010 Kelly Cup Championship as members of the Cincinnati Cyclones. Group and individual tickets are still available. If you have a group of 10 or more you can receive discounts off the box office price, preferred seating based on availability, and other great benefits. For more information please call 864-674-PUCK to speak to a Road Warriors representative.

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