Greenville Road Warriors Game Preview
Published on January 2, 2011 under ECHL (ECHL)
Greenville Swamp Rabbits News Release
GREENVILLE, SC - The Greenville Road Warriors open up the 2011 portion of their schedule with a home date against the Wheeling Nailers at 4:05 p.m. this evening. Greenville is looking to bounce back after a 2-0 loss at the hands of the South Carolina Stingrays.
RECAPPING THE ACTION:
12/31/10 - GRW 0 - S.C. 2
Skating one man short and missing key players to injuries and call-ups, the Road Warriors could not muster enough offense to take down the Stingrays for the third straight time in the week. Nate Kiser sent home his first goal of the season at 6:22 of the first period to open the scoring and Pierre-Luc O'Brien followed with an unassisted goal with 19 seconds left in the second period. It was the first shutout loss of the season sustained by the Road Warriors as 'Rays rookie goalie Jared DeMichiel turned aside all 19 shots he faced. It was the Road Warriors' lowest shot total of the season. The game was the debut of Lee Baldwin who was reassigned by the New York Rangers from Connecticut of the American Hockey League, and Neil Graham who was signed from Augusta of the Southern Professional Hockey League.
12/31/10 - WHL 4 - GWT 1
The Nailers launched 42 shots on goal and came through with the 4-1 win to pick up a win on New Year's Eve. The Nailers had dropped each of the first two games against the Gladiators, but finished off the three-game series in fine fashion. Wheeling's Mike Gershon and Gwinnett's Tim Miller exchanged goals 1:47 apart in the first period, but it was all Nailers from there on out. Gershon notched his second of the night later in the first and was followed by high-scoring rookie Ben Street for a 3-1 advantage after one. Gwinnett battled back to send 14 shots on goal in the second but could not squeeze one past Patrick Killeen. Wheeling added one last score for insurance from Nick Petersen halfway through the final frame.
WHAT'S ON TAP FOR TONIGHT:
Goalie aficionados should be excited for tonight's game. It features the top two winning goalies in the ECHL in Dov Grumet-Morris (14) and Patrick Killeen (13). Not only have both goalies been efficient in winning games, they have also been workhorses in net. Grumet-Morris is sixth in the league with 19 games played and Killeen is fifth with 21. In the head-to-head match-up Grumet-Morris holds a big edge with a 3-0-0 mark against the Nailers, a 1.33 goals-against average, a .959 save percentage and one shutout. Killeen has struggled against the Road Warriors with a record of 0-2-0, a 4.55 goals-against average, and a .859 save percentage. With Mattais Modig on IR, the Road Warriors could see new Wheeling goalie Mike Brown for the first time tonight.
Greenville found itself in very unfamiliar territory on Friday night. The loss in Charleston was the first time the Road Warriors had been shutout in a game this season, and it broke Greenville's four-game winning streak. The Road Warriors' offense has been one of their strongest assets this season, and despite the shutout are still second in the ECHL in goals for average at 3.6. The Road Warriors are averaging five goals per game at home against Wheeling this season and 4.2 goals per game overall on the season against the Nailers.
In keeping with today's bouncing back theme, the Road Warriors are looking to keep an impressive statistic intact tonight. The Road Warriors have been resilient following defeats this season and have lost back-to-back games only twice. They dropped an overtime contest against Florida on Oct. 22 and followed that with a 4-2 loss to South Carolina on Oct. 24. Then in their first road games of the season the Road Warriors fell on back-to-back nights in Gwinnett in early November. By contrast, Greenville has built four winning streaks of three games or more this season.
The Road Warriors game today features a post-game skate with the team that is free to anyone with a ticket to the game. For those who don't have skates there are pairs available for rent from the BI-LO Center. Also, don't forget that the Road Warriors host a pair of Thursday home games this month which means; Dollar Drink Thursdays! On January 6 vs. Gwinnett and January 13 against Florida there will be select fountain drinks and draught beers on sale for just $1. If you have a group of 10 or more that wants to attend a game call 864-674-PUCK to book in advance. You can save off the box office price, receive preferred seating based on availability, and enjoy other great benefits by doing so.
ECHL Stories from January 2, 2011
- Mahbod Nets Pair in Victory Over Gladiators - South Carolina Stingrays
- Road Warriors Strike Down Nailers - Greenville Swamp Rabbits
- Gladiators Stung by 'Rays 3-2 - Atlanta Gladiators
- Nailers Battle, But Fall Short in Greenville - Wheeling Nailers
- ECHL Transactions - January 2 - ECHL
- Road Warriors Offering NHL All-Star Game Package - Greenville Swamp Rabbits
- Greenville Road Warriors Game Preview - Greenville Swamp Rabbits
- Stingrays Gameday: Kiser Looks to Make History Today Against Gladiators - South Carolina Stingrays
- ECHL Today - January 2 - ECHL
- Victoria drops 2-0 decision in Utah to open 2011 calendar year - Victoria Salmon Kings
- Aces Hold on to Beat Reign, 5-3 - Ontario Reign
- Goldie Leads Aces to 5-3 Win over Reign - Alaska Aces
- Grizzlies Blank Victoria Again: Win 4th Straight - Utah Grizzlies
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