ECHL Greenville Swamp Rabbits

Road Warriors Weekly Report

January 6, 2015 - ECHL (ECHL)
Greenville Swamp Rabbits News Release


LAST WEEK'S RECAP

Overall Picture: The Greenville Road Warriors (21-12-1), proud ECHL affiliate of the New York Rangers and the AHL's Hartford Wolf Pack, continued a mammoth 12-game homestand at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena last week and went 2-2-0 against a trio of East Division rivals.

The week did not begin as planned as South Carolina goaltender Adam Morrison stopped all 21 shots he faced on Tuesday for his first shutout of the season in a 5-0 Stingrays' victory. Offensively, Wayne Simpson earned three points (1g, 2a) as South Carolina topped Greenville for the fifth consecutive meeting.

The Road Warriors bounced back on Friday with a huge 8-4 win over the Florida Everblades in a battle of the top two teams in the East Division. Josh Nicholls (2g, 2a) and Michael St. Croix (1g, 3a) each led the team with a career-high four points as Greenville equaled a season high with eight goals in the contest - just one goal shy of tying a franchise record since the team moved to the Upstate in 2010 (nine goals on March 17, 2013 at Kalamazoo).

Just 24 hours later, Tyler Brown scored his first professional hat trick in a comeback effort on Saturday, but the Road Warriors suffered a 5-4 setback in a rematch against the Everblades. Brown's hat trick, which was recorded entirely in the third period, was also the first for Greenville this season.

The Road Warriors concluded a three-game weekend series on Sunday with a 3-2 shootout victory over the Elmira Jackals. Trailing 2-1 in the third period, Brown continued his late-game heroics by scoring the game-tying goal with less than three minutes to play before goaltender Garrett Bartus made six saves in an eight-round shootout for the win. The victory pushed Greenville back to within four points of Florida for first place in the East Division.

THIS WEEK'S GAMES

Friday, January 9th vs. Fort Wayne (24-6-2), 7:00 p.m. ET*

Saturday, January 10th vs. Fort Wayne (24-6-2), 7:00 p.m. ET**

Sunday, January 11th vs. South Carolina (16-11-5), 3:00 p.m. ET***

QUICK SHIFTS

The "Missiaen" Continues: Goaltender Jason Missiaen made headlines on Monday when he was named Warrior Hockey ECHL Goaltender of the Month for December. In addition, the Warriors announced that Missiaen would be returning to Greenville after being recalled to Hartford . The 24-year old posted a 6-0-1 record during the month (also his last seven starts with Greenville) and notched a 1.41 goals against average, .957 save percentage and two shutouts during that span. Missiaen is currently on a career-best five-game winning streak and is 8-4-1 with a 2.66 goals against average and .915 save percentage overall this season with Greenville. The Chatham, Ontario native made one appearance during his latest stint with the Wolf Pack, making 11 saves on 12 shots last Saturday against St. John's in a relief outing.

What Can Brown Do For You?: Forward Tyler Brown has earned four clutch goals in the last two games, including his first career hat trick on Saturday when he scored three times in the third period against Florida. The fourth-year pro also notched the game-tying goal on Sunday to force overtime with less than three minutes remaining. Overall, Brown leads the Road Warriors with 12 goals this season and has improved to sixth in scoring with 18 points. He spent each of the last three seasons with the Adirondack Phantoms in the American hockey League, where he scored just three times all of last season.

Three's a Crowd: Greenville completed its third "three games in three days" series on Sunday with a record of 2-1-0 on the weekend. Overall, the Road Warriors are now 6-3-0 in "3-in-3's" this season heading into another three-game weekend series that begins Friday. Greenville will play 11 "3-in-3's" this season. The team went 19-8-0 in those contests in 2013-14.

Going Streaking: Vinny Saponari (1g, 2a), Tyler Brown (4g, 1a) and Trevor Parkes (3a) have each earned at least one point in three straight games. Saponari has also produced at least one point in seven of his last eight games (2g, 7a) and leads the team overall with 25 points this season. In addition, Kyle Jean has notched six points (2g, 4a) in his last two games and now leads the squad with seven multi-point contests this season.

Killing in the Name of: The Road Warriors' penalty kill has ranked in the top 10 all season long and is currently tied for eighth in the league with Idaho at 84.6%. Over the last 11 games specifically, Greenville's penalty kill has allowed just four goals (29-for-33) and sits at 87.9% during that span.

East Division Standings

Florida Everblades (23-5-1) = 47 points in 29 games Greenville Road Warriors (21-12-1) = 43 points in 34 games Reading Royals (19-10-2) = 40 points in 31 games Elmira Jackals (17-13-4) = 38 points in 34 games South Carolina Stingrays (1-10-5) = 37 points in 32 games Orlando Solar Bears (15-13-3) = 33 points in 31 games Gwinnett Gladiators (10-19-1) = 21 points in 30 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.

*The Road Warriors kick off another three-game series on Friday when they welcome the Fort Wayne Komets to the Bon Secours Wellness Arena at 7:00 p.m. for "Warrior Appreciation Night". Fans are encouraged to join the Road Warriors as we salute the members of the U.S. Military as well as local police officers, firefighters and first responders. Greenville will also sport special "Warrior Appreciation" jerseys that will be auctioned off following the contest. In addition, the popular "Warrior Fun Packs" return, featuring (4) red level tickets, (4) hot dogs, (4) bags of chips, (4) small fountain drinks and (2) Warriors drawstring bags for just $60!

**Saturday is "Star Wars Night" featuring a Star Wars youth jersey giveaway. The first 1,000 kids 12 and under will receive a limited edition Warriors youth Star Wars jersey presented by HOT 98.1 FM, Chuck 97.7 FM and X98.5 FM.

***On Sunday, skate with your favorite Road Warriors players on SANDLAPPER Securities Rink following the game for "Family Fun Day!" Warrior Fun Packs are also available, which include (4) red level tickets, (4) hot dogs, (4) bags of chips, (4) small fountain drinks and (2) Warriors drawstring bags for just $60!

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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