ECHL Greenville Swamp Rabbits

Road Warriors Weekly Report

Published on December 23, 2014 under ECHL (ECHL)
Greenville Swamp Rabbits News Release


LAST WEEK'S RECAP

Overall Picture: The Greenville Road Warriors (18-9-1), proud ECHL affiliate of the New York Rangers and the AHL's Hartford Wolf Pack, completed their most successful week of the season last Saturday by winning their fourth straight game and moving to within two points of Florida for the top spot in the East Division. The Road Warriors earned a perfect 4-0-0 record last week and extended their point streak to a season-high nine games (8-0-1), which is the longest point streak since Nov. 24, 2010 - Dec. 11, 2010, during the team's inaugural season.

The Road Warriors kicked off the week in dramatic, come-from-behind fashion last Tuesday by securing a 2-1 overtime victory at Toledo in its only morning game of the season. Sy Nutkevitch evened the contest with his second goal of the season early in the third period, before Josh Nicholls caught Toledo in a line change at 2:22 of overtime and capitalized on an ensuing breakaway. It was Greenville's league-leading seventh comeback win this season and fifth when trailing after two periods (5-8-0).

Jason Missiaen headlined the next two games as he made a combined 43 saves in back-to-back shutout victories in Cincinnati (3-0) on Wednesday, and Wheeling (1-0) on Friday. Last week's consecutive shutouts marked the second time Missiaen accomplished the feat in his career. During that span, the 24-year old netminder went an impressive 142:00 of playing time without allowing a goal, and put himself right in the mix for CCM/ECHL Goaltender of the Week honors, which will be announced on Tuesday. Offensively, Michael St. Croix, Spencer Humphries (first ECHL goal) and Tyler Brown each scored against Cincinnati, while Vinny Saponari notched the only goal against Wheeling just 4:10 into the first period.

On Saturday, Greenville concluded its five-game road trip, and a span of four games in five days, with a 5-3 victory at Wheeling. Trevor Parkes recorded four points (2g, 2a) for just the second time in his pro career, while Andrew Himelson produced a career-best two goals and three points (2g, 1a). Between the pipes, Missiaen made 34 saves for his fourth straight victory overall.

THIS WEEK'S GAMES

Friday, December 26th vs. Gwinnett (8-15-1), 7:00 p.m. ET

Saturday, December 27th vs. Gwinnett (8-15-1), 7:00 p.m. ET

QUICK SHIFTS

Man on a "Missiaen": New York Rangers' prospect Jason Missiaen enters Christmas break as the league's hottest goaltender over the last two weeks. Since Dec. 11th, the fourth-year pro is a whopping 5-0-1 with a 1.14 goals against average, .965 save percentage and two shutouts. His four-game winning streak and span of six games without being beaten in regulation are also the longest for a Road Warriors' netminder this season. Overall, Missiaen is 7-4-1 with a 2.64 goals against average and .916 save percentage during the 2014-15 campaign. The 24-year old was selected in the fourth round (#116 overall) by the Montreal Canadiens in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.

Home Sweet Home: Greenville returns to SANDLAPPER Securities Rink at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena this weekend to begin a season-long, 12-game home stand. The Road Warriors are currently the league's best team at home, with a record of 7-1-0 and an .875 win percentage through eight games. Greenville has also won five straight games at home dating back to Nov. 13th, including back-to-back wins against Gwinnett, who the Road Warriors face in each of the next two games. Greenville has outscored opponents 28-16 on SANDLAPPER Securities Rink this season.

Never Say Never: The Road Warriors notched two more come-from-behind victories last week, including Saturday's win at Wheeling, and now lead the league with eight comeback victories overall this season (8-of-18). Much of that is due to a potent third-period offense that has outscored opponents 33-21 this season, including 18-9 in the final 10 minutes of regulation.

December to Remember: With a record of 7-0-1 so far this month, the Road Warriors are off to their best start in December in franchise history, dating all the way back to the Johnstown Chiefs inaugural season in 1988-89. The only start that comes close is Greenville's first season in the Upstate in 2010-11, when the club went 6-1-1 through eight games in December. The Road Warriors have outscored their opponents 26-11 this month.

Keeping Perfect: The Road Warriors are 8-0-0 when scoring at least once on the power play, 11-0-0 when leading after two periods and 15-0-0 when scoring at least three goals in a game this season. Greenville is also a perfect 6-0-0 when the same goaltender plays back-to-back days.

News and Notes: Vinny Saponari has earned points in nine of his last 11 games (5g, 11a) and leads the team with 19 points overall....Trevor Parkes has recorded points in six of his last nine games (6g, 6a) and has improved to second in team scoring....Jeff Malcolm is on a three-game winning streak between the pipes and is second in the league in both goals against average (2.13) and save percentage (.929)....Malcolm is also 6-0-0 on SANDLAPPER Securities Rink with a 1.48 goals against average, .943 save percentage and one shutout this season....The Road Warriors have held their opponents to two goals or less in seven of their last eight games and now lead the league in goals allowed per game (2.50).

East Division Standings

Florida Everblades (19-3-1) = 39 points in 23 games

Greenville Road Warriors (18-9-1) = 35 points in 28 games

Elmira Jackals (15-10-3) = 33 points in 28 games

Reading Royals (15-9-2) = 32 points in 26 games

South Carolina Stingrays (13-10-5) = 31 points in 28 games

Orlando Solar Bears (14-12-3) = 31 points in 29 games

Gwinnett Gladiators (8-15-1) = 17 points in 24 games

The Road Warriors return to SANDLAPPER Securities Rink at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena this 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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