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ECHL Greenville Swamp Rabbits

Preview: Warriors Conclude Road Swing with Two Games in Wheeling

December 19, 2014 - ECHL (ECHL)
Greenville Swamp Rabbits News Release


Greenville and Wheeling to meet in back-to-back games at WesBanco Arena

Date Time Opponent Follow

Fri, Dec. 19th 7:35 p.m. ET @ Wheeling Free Audio / ECHL.TV

Sat, Dec. 20th 7:35 p.m. ET @ Wheeling Free Audio / ECHL.TV

THE STORY COMING IN: The Road Warriors (16-9-1) enter tonight's game in second place in the East Division, four points behind Florida, and on a season-best, seven-game point streak (6-0-1), dating back to Nov. 29th. In Greenville's last contest on Wednesday, Jason Missiaen stopped all 22 shots he faced to backstop the Warriors to a 3-0 win at Cincinnati. The shutout was Missiaen's first this season and seventh of his pro career. Offensively, Michael St. Croix, Spencer Humphries and Tyler Brown each scored a goal, while Josh Nicholls collected two assists for his fourth multi-point game this season. Tonight, the Road Warriors look to extend their point streak to eight games for the first time since a streak that spanned Jan. 5, 2013 - Jan. 26, 2013.

TRUE "ROAD" WARRIORS: Greenville continues its third-longest road trip of the season tonight, a five-game, four-city trek that runs through tomorrow evening. Overall, the Road Warriors will play 20 of their first 28 games this season away from Bon Secours Wellness Arena. The club is 9-8-1 on the road so far this season, exactly half-way through the road portion of their 2014-15 schedule.

WARRIORS VS. NAILERS: Tonight's game marks the second of five meetings between the Warriors and Nailers this season (all five will take place in Wheeling, WV). The Nailers currently lead the series 1-0-0 after taking a 4-2 decision at WesBanco Arena on Nov. 26th. That night, forwards Zach Torquato (1g, 2a) and Sahir Gill (1g, 2a) each recorded three points, while Emerson Clark and Paul Rodrigues scored the goals for Greenville. Last year, the Road Warriors went 1-2-0 against the Nailers during the regular-season and 1-1-0 in those contests on the road. Greenville defeated Wheeling in six games in the second round of the 2014 Kelly Cup Playoffs to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. The Warriors are 9-7-2 all-time against the Nailers during the regular season.

VIEW FROM WHEELING: The Nailers (12-10-0) enter tonight's contest in third place in the North Division (13 points behind Toledo and Fort Wayne) and winners of four of their last five games at home. In their last contest, forward Derek Army earned three points (1g, 2a), including the game-winning goal at 8:18 of the third period, to help Wheeling to a 3-2 win over Reading last Sunday. Overall, the Nailers offense is currently led by forward Riley Brace, who is third in the league in points (28) and assists (19). Wheeling is affiliated with the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins and Montreal Canadiens, as well as the AHL's Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins and Hamilton Bulldogs.

QUICK HITS: The Road Warriors have held their opponents to two goals or less in six straight games, which has improved the team to third in the league in goals against per game (2.58/game)....Greenville is just 2-for-38 (5.3%) on the power play over its last 14 games, but is a perfect 8-0-0 when scoring at least one power play goal this season....The Warriors are 10-1-1 when scoring first and 13-0-0 when scoring at least three goals in a game....Kyle Jean leads the team with five multi-point contests.

NEVER SAY NEVER: The Road Warriors earned their league-leading seventh comeback victory of the season on Tuesday when the team scored once in the third period, and again in overtime, to defeat Toledo 2-1. In fact, nearly half of Greenville's wins this season have come when trailing at some point in the game (7-of-16). Much of that is due to a potent third-period offense that has outscored opponents 31-21 this season, including 16-9 after the 10-minute mark. Greenville also boasts a league-high five wins (5-8-0) when trailing after two periods.

MAN ON A "MISSIAEN": Over his last four starts (since Dec. 11th), fourth-year pro Jason Missiaen has gone 3-0-1 with an impressive 0.97 goals against average, a .971 save percentage and one shutout. In addition, Missiaen has not suffered a regulation loss in four games - the longest streak for a Road Warriors' goaltender this season. Last year, Missiaen earned a 40-save shutout in his only regular-season appearance against Wheeling (Jan. 18th at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena).

STREAKS/INJURIES

- Jeff Malcolm is on a three-game winning streak since Nov. 29th

- Jason Missiaen has not suffered a regulation loss in four games, a streak dating back to

Dec. 11th

- Josh Nicholls has seven points in his last five games (2g, 5a)

- Scott Arnold is on the 21-day IR as of 11/27

- Devon Krogh is on the 21-day IR as of 11/1

- Bretton Cameron is on the 21-day IR as of 11/20

AFFILIATE REPORT

NHL: New York Rangers (15-10-4): Next at Carolina Hurricanes - Saturday, 7 ET

AHL: Hartford Wolf Pack (15-9-3): Next vs. Syracuse Crunch - Tonight, 5 ET

EAST DIVISION STANDINGS

Florida Everblades (18-3-1) = 37 points in 22 games Greenville Road Warriors (16-9-1) = 33 points in 26 games Elmira Jackals (14-9-3) = 31 points in 26 games Reading Royals (13-9-2) = 28 points in 24 games Orlando Solar Bears (13-11-2) = 28 points in 26 games South Carolina (12-10-4) = 28 points in 26 games Gwinnett Gladiators (7-14-1) = 15 points in 22 games

NEXT HOME GAME: The Road Warriors return to SANDLAPPER Securities Rink at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena on Friday, Dec. 26th for a 7:00 p.m. face-off against the Gwinnett Gladiators. Dec. 26th is Greenville's "White Elephant Gift Exchange Night". Bring a wacky gift to the game, make sure to disguise it, and the gifts will be exchanged during the intermissions! The popular "Warrior Fun Pack" is also available for the December 26th game! The Warrior Fun Pack includes (4) Red Level tickets, (4) hot dogs, (4) bags of chips, (4) fountain drinks and (2) Warriors drawstring bags. For tickets or more information, please call a Road Warriors Account Executive at 864-674-PUCK or visit GreenvilleRoadWarriors.com/tickets-overview.html !

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