ECHL Greenville Swamp Rabbits

Himelson Scores Twice as Warriors Beat Wheeling

Published on March 2, 2015 under ECHL (ECHL)
Greenville Swamp Rabbits News Release


Wheeling, WV - The Greenville Road Warriors (31-22-3), proud ECHL affiliate of the New York Rangers and the AHL's Hartford Wolf Pack, scored four unanswered goals on Monday, led by Andrew Himelson's second career two-goal performance, to beat the Wheeling Nailers 4-2 at WesBanco Arena.

The Road Warriors didn't grab the lead until less than five minutes to play in the third period when Michael St. Croix scored the game-winner.

With the victory, Greenville separated itself from Elmira by three points for the final playoff spot in the East Division. In addition, the Road Warriors improved to 15-13-3 on the road this season and concluded the season-series 4-1-0 against Wheeling.

Wheeling started strong and notched the first two goals of the contest in the opening frame. David Makowski made it 1-0 just 5:08 into the first period when he redirected Riley Brace's feed from the left circle past the glove of goaltender Braely Torris. Makowski's one-time finish was his sixth goal of the season.

Jean-Sebastien Dea extended the Nailers' advantage at the 15:22 mark on a blast from the left wing that was slightly tipped by Spencer Humphries stick in front. It was Dea's fourth goal of the season.

The Road Warriors answered and cut their deficit to one with a late power-play goal in the second period. With Stefan Fournier in the box on a four-minute double minor for roughing, Kyle Jean slipped a pass to Himelson at the high slot for a one-timer that split the pads of goaltender Franky Palazzese. It was Himelson's fourth goal of the season, which came at the 18:36 mark. St. Croix also earned a helper.

Himelson evened the score at 12:01 of the third period with his second power-play goal of the contest. Following a two-minute minor to David Gilbert for roughing, Vinny Saponari found Himelson at the top of the point, where he loaded and fired a rocket past Palazzese. With the primary assist, Saponari registered his 100th professional point.

Greenville grabbed its first lead of the contest at 15:25 of the final frame when Sean Escobedo set up St. Croix with a beautiful diagonal pass to the back post. St. Croix collected the puck, delayed and beat Palazzese top shelf, who stacked the pads in an unsuccessful attempt to make the save.

Domenic Alberga nailed the coffin shut with an empty netter at the 19:22 mark.

The Road Warriors finished the game 2-for-4 on the power play and 1-for-1 on the penalty kill. Torris (3-2-0) earned the win with 31 saves, while Palazzese suffered the loss in a 38-save effort.

Greenville outshot Wheeling 42-33.

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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