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ECHL Greenville Swamp Rabbits

Preview: Warriors Battle 'Blades in Two Big Games this Weekend

January 30, 2015 - ECHL (ECHL)
Greenville Swamp Rabbits News Release


THIS WEEKEND

Greenville visits Florida for first time this season, just five points out of top spot

Date Time Opponent Follow

Fri, Jan. 30th 7:30 p.m. ET @ Florida Free Audio / ECHL.TV / Twitter

Sat, Jan. 31st 7:00 p.m. ET

@ Florida

Free Audio / ECHL.TV / Twitter

THE STORY COMING IN: The Greenville Road Warriors (25-14-3), proud ECHL affiliate of the New York Rangers and the AHL's Hartford Wolf Pack, enter tonight's contest in third place in the East Division, fifth in the Eastern Conference and on a three-game unbeaten in regulation streak (1-0-2), dating back to Jan. 17th. Last weekend, the Road Warriors amassed a team-record 103 shots in a pair of games against Orlando, but fell to the Solar Bears in a shootout (4-3 on Friday) and overtime (3-2 on Saturday). Despite the losses, Greenville notched two hard-earned points by rebounding from several third-period deficits including a two-goal performance from Trevor Parkes in the final frame last Saturday. Tonight, the Road Warriors look to leap-frog Reading for second place in the division and snap a 10-game winless in regulation skid that began Jan. 3rd (5-3-2).

TRUE "ROAD" WARRIORS: The Warriors continue a four-game trek through the Sunshine State with their first visit to Germain Arena this season. Overall, Greenville is 11-8-3 away from home ice this season and has earned at least one point in eight straight games on the road, a streak that dates back to Nov. 29th at Reading (6-0-2).

WARRIORS VS. EVERBLADES: Tonight's contest marks the third of nine games this season between the Road Warriors and Everblades (four in Greenville, five in Fort Myers). Following back-to-back meetings at the beginning of the month, the series is currently split 1-1-0. In their first matchup on Jan. 2nd, the Warriors cruised to an 8-4 victory courtesy of Josh Nicholls (2g, 2a) and Michael St. Croix (1g, 3a), who each recorded a career-best four points. The next night, former Warriors forward Tyler Brown (currently on loan to the AHL's Hartford Wolf Pack) notched his first pro hat trick, but Greenville fell 5-4. Last season, the Road Warriors never lost in regulation to Florida, going 7-0-3 during the regular season and 3-0-0 in those contests on the road. In addition, Greenville leads the all-time series 32-11-7.

VIEW FROM FLORIDA: The Everblades enter tonight's game in first place in the East Division, third in the Eastern Conference and on a three-game unbeaten in regulation streak (2-0-1) since last Saturday. In their last outing, Florida used a pair of goals 33 seconds apart in the third period to pull away from South Carolina in a 4-1 win on Wednesday. Between the pipes, Andy Iles made 27 saves for his seventh victory this season, while Adam Brace scored his team-leading 17th goal of the season in the second period, which stood as the game-winner.

QUICK HITS: Greenville's span of 10 games without a win in regulation is the longest since the club moved to Upstate South Carolina in 2010 (previously six games from Apr. 8, 2014 to Oct. 19, 2014)...Spencer Humphries is tied for the league-lead among rookies with a +18 rating...Jeff Malcolm is tied for third in the ECHL with a .919 save percentage...Greenville has scored three power-play goals in its last nine chances.

TOUGHEST FIGHT IN THE LEAGUE: Since late-November, the ECHL's East Division has consistently been the tightest in the league and entering tonight's schedule, just 17 points stand between first and sixth place. Florida, Greenville, Reading and Elmira currently hold playoff spots, while South Carolina (-6) and Orlando (-8) are not far out. Prior to Wednesday, Greenville had been in first or second place for 45 straight days, since Dec. 13th. Reading has since moved into second place just one point ahead of the Warriors.

PARKES AND REC: In his first season with the Road Warriors, Trevor Parkes has become an offensive machine and has scored six goals and nine points (6g, 3a) in his last seven games. In addition, the 23-year old leads the team with 14 goals and is second on the club with 32 points, just two behind Vinny Saponari.

THIRD TIME'S A CHARM: The Road Warriors continued their third-period dominance last weekend by scoring all five goals against the Solar Bears in the final frame. With that success, Greenville is now second in the ECHL with 52 goals in the third period (behind Reading) and has outscored opponents 52-36 in that frame. The Road Warriors also lead the league with six victories and 14 points when trailing after two periods this season (6-12-2).

STREAKS/MILESTONES

- Vinny Saponari has points in four straight games on the road (1g, 4a)

- Michael St. Croix is five games away from 100 professional games played

- Paul Rodrigues is five games away from 100 professional games played

AFFILIATE REPORT

NHL: New York Rangers (27-15-4): Next vs. Carolina - Saturday, 7:00 p.m. ET

AHL: Hartford Wolf Pack (24-13-5): Next vs. Bridgeport - Tonight, 7:00 p.m. ET

EAST DIVISION STANDINGS

Florida Everblades (27-7-4) = 58 points in 38 games

Reading Royals (26-13-2) = 54 points in 41 games

Greenville Road Warriors (25-14-3) = 53 points in 42 games

Elmira Jackals (22-16-5) = 49 points in 43 games

South Carolina Stingrays (18-17-7) = 43 points in 42 games

Orlando Solar Bears (19-15-3) = 41 points in 37 games

Gwinnett Gladiators (14-22-3) = 31 points in 39 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.

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NEXT HOME GAME: The Road Warriors return to SANDLAPPER Securities Rink at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena on Thursday, Feb. 5th to battle the Orlando Solar Bears on "Thirsty Thursday" presented by HOT 98.1 FM and X98.5 FM. Fans can enjoy $2 domestic beers, hot dogs, fountain drinks and pretzels at the concourse concession stands throughout the game! In addition, all fans are encouraged to take advantage of a special $5 ticket offer available at the Box Office only while supplies last. Finally, the Road Warriors have initiated a "Student Rush" offer for Thursday, 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. on the day of the game.

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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