Preview: Warriors and Gladiators Clash in Final Three-Game Set
April 2, 2015 - ECHL (ECHL)
Greenville Swamp Rabbits News Release
BIGGEST PARTY AROUND : The Greenville Road Warriors (35-28-4), proud ECHL affiliate of the New York Rangers and the AHL's Hartford Wolf Pack, return to SANDLAPPER Securities Rink at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena tonight to battle Gwinnett (18-43-6) and open their final three-game series this season.
It all kicks off with the biggest pre-game party in the Upstate, "Hockey Happy Hour" starting at 5:30 p.m. on the plaza. "Hockey Happy Hour" will include free entertainment, fantastic beer specials, 99 cent tacos and 3-for-$3 buffalo chicken sliders. Tonight's 7:00 p.m. contest will also feature $2 food and beverage specials inside the Bon Secours Wellness Arena, as well as limited $5 tickets at the Box Office and ONLINE HERE . In addition, the Road Warriors will offer their new "Student Rush" promotion featuring a blue-level, center-ice ticket and a personal pan pizza for just $15! The offer is available only at the Box Office to students who show a valid ID after 5:00 p.m. tonight.
The promotions really take off this Friday with "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 .
THE STORY COMING IN: With just five games left in the regular season, the Road Warriors continue to battle for the final playoff spot in the East Division, and look to gain some ground this weekend in a three-game series against Gwinnett. Greenville enters tonight's contest on a two-game win streak and in fifth place in the East, four points behind Orlando. In their last contest on Saturday, Michael St. Croix (2g, 1a) and Paul Rodrigues (1g, 2a) each earned a three-point effort en route to a 5-1 win at Gwinnett. Kyle Jean (1g, 1a) also registered a multi-point game, while Jeff Malcolm stopped 25 of 26 shots in his first appearance since returning from AHL Hartford. Tonight, Greenville seeks its third straight win for the first time since a three-game set that spanned Feb. 13th - Feb. 15th. The Warriors are also looking to pull within two points of the Solar Bears, who are in action tonight as well.
WARRIORS ADD BUCKEYE: The Road Warriors announced today the team has signed Ohio State University product Justin DaSilva to an Amateur Tryout Contact (ATO). A 6'6, 222-pound defenseman, DaSilva spent each of the last four seasons at Ohio State and recorded 23 points (7g, 16a) in 122 games. As a junior in 2013-14, he led the NCAA in blocked shots per game (2.74) and amassed 85 on the season. The Cambridge, Ontario native also earned Ohio State Scholar-Athlete honors three times and was an Academic All-Big Ten choice twice. He played two seasons at Ohio State with fellow Road Warriors' defenseman Devon Krogh (2011-2013).
FEELING "WELL": After playing 20 of their first 28 games on the road this season, the Warriors will benefit over the next two weeks with four of their last five games taking place in the Upstate. In addition, the only contest on the road will take place just two hours away in Duluth, GA against Gwinnett. The Road Warriors are currently 19-13-0 on SANDLAPPER Securities Rink this season.
WARRIORS VS. GLADIATORS: Tonight's contest marks the eighth of 11 meetings between Greenville and Gwinnett this season, and the fifth at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena. Both teams will become very familiar with one another down the stretch as the two clubs are scheduled to meet four more times in the Road Warriors' final five games. In their last matchup on Saturday, Michael St. Croix scored twice to guide Greenville to its second straight victory. The Road Warriors now lead the season series 6-1-0 and the all-time series 38-23-5. Greenville went 9-4-0 against Gwinnett during the 2013-14 campaign.
VIEW FROM GWINNETT: The Gladiators have struggled mightily since the beginning of the season and are eager to turn the page and build for 2015-16. In fact, Gwinnett has won just two of its last 24 games and continues to sit in the cellar of the East Division, and 13th in the Eastern Conference. Last time out, the Glads put up a fight against Orlando on Sunday, but suffered a 3-2 loss at home when Brady Vail scored the game-winning goal in the third period. Gwinnett's active leading scorer is Greg Carey, who has just 24 points this season. Carey also has a team-leading four points against the Road Warriors this season (1g, 3a).
GOING STREAKING: Following his performance on Saturday, Michael St. Croix is now on a team high, five-game point streak (4g, 4a), since Mar. 19th. The 21-year old also improved to sixth on the team in scoring (37 points) and third on the club in assists (25). In addition, defenseman Dallas Jackson is on a four-game point streak (2g, 2a), while forward Kyle Jean has scored goals in two consecutive games.
SHOTS FROM THE POINT: Anthony Luciani and Vinny Saponari are tied for 19th in the league's scoring race with 62 points ... Thomas Frazee has seven points (3g, 4a) in eight games since joining the Road Warriors on Feb. 9th...Chris McCarthy is fourth among ECHL rookies with 181 shots...Greenville is 21-0-0 when leading after two periods and paces the league with seven wins when trailing after two.
PLAYOFF PICTURE: It's crunch time for the Road Warriors who enter the final 10 days of the season in fifth place in the East Division, four points behind Orlando for the fourth and final playoff spot. Florida, Reading and South Carolina have all clinched a playoff berth already. Sixth-place Elmira has drifted seven points behind the Solar Bears, and are realistically out of contention. Orlando holds the first tiebreaker over Greenville, which is non-shootout wins.
MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE: All-Star goaltender Jeff Malcolm returned to action for Greenville last Saturday following a nine-game stint with AHL Hartford, and he didn't miss a beat. Malcolm earned the victory at Gwinnett and improved to 16-9-1 this season (third on the Warriors' all-time single season wins list). He is also ninth among ECHL goalies this season with a 2.49 goals against average and tied for fourth with a .921 save percentage.
MILESTONES
- Kyle Jean is scheduled to play his 200th professional game tonight
- Greenville is three wins away from its 200th franchise victory
- Head coach Dean Stork is three wins away from his 200th professional victory
AFFILIATE REPORT
NHL: New York Rangers (48-21-7): Next at Minnesota - Tonight @ 8:00 p.m. ET
AHL: Hartford Wolf Pack (36-22-9): Next vs. Syracuse - Friday @ 7:00 p.m. ET
EAST DIVISION STANDINGS
Florida Everblades (46-14-7) = 99 points in 67 games Reading Royals (43-18-6) = 92 points in 67 games South Carolina Stingrays (42-19-7) = 91 points in 68 games Orlando Solar Bears (35-23-8) = 78 points in 66 games Greenville Road Warriors (35-28-4) = 74 points in 67 games Elmira Jackals (32-28-7) = 71 points in 67 games Gwinnett Gladiators (18-43-6) = 42 points in 67 games
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. F ans can listen or watch the games live via ECHL.TV .
For tickets or more information, please call a Road Warriors Account Executive at 864-674-PUCK or visit GreenvilleRoadWarriors.com/tickets-overview.html .
ECHL Stories from April 2, 2015
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