ECHL Greenville Swamp Rabbits

Preview: Warriors Hit the Road to Face Gwinnett Tonight

Published on March 28, 2015 under ECHL (ECHL)
Greenville Swamp Rabbits News Release


Date Time Opponent Follow

Sat, Mar. 28th 7:05 p.m. ET @ Gwinnett

Free Audio / ECHL.TV / Twitter

THE STORY COMING IN: The Greenville Road Warriors (34-28-4), proud ECHL affiliate of the New York Rangers and the AHL's Hartford Wolf Pack, return to the road tonight for a 7:05 p.m. puck drop against the Gwinnett Gladiators in Duluth, Georgia. Greenville enters tonight's contest in fifth place in the East Division, but just four points out of a playoff spot with six games remaining in the regular season. Last time out, Kyle Jean (1g, 1a), Bretton Cameron (1g) and Dallas Jackson (1g) each contributed to a massive 3-2 victory against Orlando at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena on Thursday. Jason Missiaen (15-15-3) also made 26 saves in the win. Tonight, the Road Warriors look to close within two points of the fourth and final playoff spot. The Solar Bears have the night off.

WARRIORS VS. GLADIATORS: Tonight's contest marks the seventh of 11 meetings between the Warriors and Gladiators this season, and the third at the Arena at Gwinnett Center. In addition, both teams will see a healthy dose of each other down the stretch as Greenville and Gwinnett will meet five times in the next two weeks. Greenville leads the season series 5-1-0, including a 5-2 victory in their last matchup on Feb. 15th. Ryan Hegarty (2g, 2a) and Vinny Saponari (4a) stole the show that day with a combined eight points, while Jason Missiaen stopped 24 shots between the pipes. It was also Saponari's 25th birthday. The Warriors lead the all-time series 37-23-5.

VIEW FROM GWINNETT: The Gladiators have struggled since the beginning of the season and currently find themselves in the basement of the East Division, and 13th in the Eastern Conference. Gwinnett is just 1-8-1 in its last 10 games, but is coming off an upset win in overtime last night against Orlando at home. Greg Carey led the way offensively with two points (1g, 1a), while Mike Lee made 26 saves in net. Former Road Warrior Scott Arnold also added an assist. Gwinnett's roster has changed drastically since the beginning of the season, and currently features Greg Carey as the team's active leading scorer with just 24 points (15g, 9a). Casey Pierro-Zabotel led the way for much of the season (60 points), but he was traded to Florida just before the trade deadline. The Gladiators continue a three-game weekend series tonight.

SHOTS FROM THE POINT: Anthony Luciani and Vinny Saponari are tied for 16th in the league's scoring race with 62 points... Saponari is also tied for fifth in the ECHL with 44 assists...Michael St. Croix is on a four-game point streak (2g, 3a), while Thomas Frazee has six points (2g, 4a) in seven games since joining the Road Warriors on March 9th...Greenville is 20-0-0 when leading after two periods and 7-3-0 against Gwinnett and Evansville, the final two opponents of the regular season.

MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE: All-Star goaltender Jeff Malcolm was returned to Greenville from AHL Hartford on Wednesday and is a huge addition to the playoff push. Malcolm is ninth in the ECHL with a 2.54 goals against average and tied for sixth with a .920 save percentage in 25 starts (15-9-1). He notched a 6-4-0 record with a 3.40 goals against average and .893 save percentage in 10 games with Hartford this season. Malcolm has not played with the Road Warriors since Jan. 31st at Florida.

PLAYOFF PICTURE: Prior to the season, the ECHL Board of Governors announced changes to its Kelly Cup Playoff format for the 2014-15 campaign. Unlike the past several years, this season's format will include the top four teams from each division, rather than the top eight in each conference. With a win on Wednesday, South Carolina joined Florida and Reading as the teams that have already clinched a playoff berth, leaving just one spot open. Greenville is fifth in the East, but just four points behind Orlando and three ahead of Elmira. Both the Solar Bears and Jackals have one game in hand on the Road Warriors, but each have a much tougher schedule down the stretch.

WARRIORS' MOST ASSISTS IN A SEASON: With three helpers last week, Vinny Saponari has moved into a tie for third on the Warriors' all-time single season assists list, one point behind second. Anthony Luciani has also reached the top five.

1. Justin Bowers - 59 assists ('11-12)

2. Marc-Olivier Vallerand - 45 assists ('12-13)

3. Jimmy Kilpatrick - 44 assists ('10-11)

3. Vinny Saponari - 44 assists ('14-15)

5. Anthony Luciani - 38 assists ('14-15)

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MILESTONES

- Kyle Jean is two games away from reaching 200 professional games played

- Greenville is four wins away from its 200th franchise victory

AFFILIATE REPORT

NHL: New York Rangers (47-19-7): Next at Boston - Today, 1:00 p.m. ET

AHL: Hartford Wolf Pack (35-22-9): Next at Springfield - Tonight, 7:00 p.m. ET

EAST DIVISION STANDINGS

Florida Everblades (45-13-7) = 97 points in 65 games Reading Royals (42-17-6) = 90 points in 65 games South Carolina Stingrays (41-18-7) = 89 points in 66 games Orlando Solar Bears (34-23-8) = 76 points in 65 games Greenville Road Warriors (34-28-4) = 72 points in 66 games Elmira Jackals (31-27-7) = 69 points in 65 games Gwinnett Gladiators (18-41-6) = 42 points in 65 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 .

FAN APPRECIATION NIGHT: In a continued effort to prove that Upstate South Carolina is a true hockey community, the Road Warriors will attempt to draw the league's largest crowd of the season to the Bon Secours Wellness Arena for "Fan Appreciation Night" presented by Hilton Greenville on Saturday, April 11th. In addition to great ticket deals, all returning groups of 15 or more will qualify to receive an extra discount on group tickets for the game!

The evening will be highlighted by promotions and events that include:

The chance to win a trip for four (4) to Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida that includes airfare, hotel accommodations and park passes courtesy of Hilton Greenville.

The chance to win one of the Road Warriors' New York Rangers-style jerseys right off a player's back following the game.

Appearance by the Hanson brothers - Stars of the classic hockey movie, Slapshot.

Special appearance and National Anthem performance by FOX Carolina's Nicole Papay.

A pre-game Fan Fest on the plaza that will include live entertainment performed by the band, Hitmob, interactive games for kids, the chance to meet the Hanson brothers, and food and beverage specials.

The chance to win a VIP experience at the BMW Charity Pro-Am.

Special $10 Lower Level tickets available online via TicketMaster.com and at the Box Office both in advance and on game day.

Special $7.50 pricing on Upper Level tickets available at the Box Office in advance and day of game.

Prizes given away throughout 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 .

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ECHL Stories from March 28, 2015


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