Road Warriors Weekly Report
March 10, 2015 - ECHL (ECHL)
Greenville Swamp Rabbits News Release
LAST WEEK'S RECAP
Overall Picture: The Greenville Road Warriors (31-25-3), proud ECHL affiliate of the New York Rangers and the AHL's Hartford Wolf Pack, earned a pair of points over four games last week, and continued to hold the fourth spot in the East Division standings, three points ahead of Elmira and Orlando for the final playoff position.
The week started well for Greenville on Monday in a makeup game against the Wheeling Nailers following a postponement the night before. Andrew Himelson led a charge of four unanswered goals with his second career two-goal contest as the Road Warriors topped Wheeling in come-from-behind fashion, 4-2, at WesBanco Arena. Michael St. Croix recorded the game-winner in the final five minutes of regulation, while Braely Torris earned the victory in net. Greenville now leads the league with 16 comeback victories this season, including seven when trailing after two periods (7-21-2).
Greenville's offense did not have the same spark over "True Blue Weekend" as the club mustered up just five goals in a trio of games against East Division rivals. On Friday, the Road Warriors kicked off their eighth "three games in three days" series of the season with a 5-4 loss to the Florida Everblades. Despite the setback, Greenville was resilient and clawed back from three separate one-goal deficits, but ultimately fell on SANDLAPPER Securities Rink when Jordan Henry scored the game-winning goal at 12:13 of third period. For the Warriors, Vinny Saponari's two helpers extended his assist streak to a career-high 10 games, which also bettered his own franchise record.
24 hours later, Greenville fired 32 shots on Everblades' rookie goaltender Anthony Peters, but the 24-year old, who was making his professional debut, stopped every one of them as Florida notched a 4-0 victory in a Saturday night rematch. The setback dropped the Road Warriors to 1-5-0 against Florida this season.
The weekend set concluded on Sunday with a 3-1 loss to the South Carolina Stingrays at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena. Following a 1-1 draw after the first period, Greenville surrendered a pair of goals in the middle frame that proved to be the difference. South Carolina held its two-goal advantage through the final 26:14 to earn its franchise record 16th straight victory. Devon Krogh scored the Warriors' only goal midway through the first period, his first of the season.
THIS WEEK'S GAMES
Wednesday, March 11th at Florida (37-13-6), 7:30 p.m. ET
Friday, March 13th at Florida (37-13-6), 7:30 p.m. ET
Saturday, March 14th at Florida (37-13-6), 7:00 p.m. ET
QUICK SHIFTS
Saponari's New Mark: In his first season with the Road Warriors, Vinny Saponari has already made his mark in the team's record book. Last Friday, the 25-year old extended his personal point/assist streak to a career-high 10 games, which also extended the Road Warriors' record for longest assist streak in the team's five-year history. In addition, Saponari's 41 assists this season are the fourth-most in a single season for the club. Jimmy Kilpatrick ('10-11) is the next to be overtaken for third (44 assists). Overall, Saponari has 23 points (6g, 17a) in his last 12 contests dating back to Feb. 13th and was named runner-up for CCM/ECHL Player of the Month for February. He is also nearing the Top 5 on Greenville's all-time list for points in a single season.
Road Warriors' All-Time Single Season Points
Justin Bowers ('11-12) - 78 points
Marc-Olivier Vallerand ('12-13) - 67 points
Andrew Rowe ('13-14) - 66 points
Jimmy Kilpatrick ('10-11) - 63 points
Brandon Wong ('11-12) - 61 points
x. Vinny Saponari ('14-15) - 58 points
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Road Warriors' All-Time Single Season Assists
Justin Bowers ('11-12) - 59 assists
Marc-Olivier Vallerand ('12-13) - 45 assists
Jimmy Kilpatrick ('10-11) - 44 assists
Vinny Saponari ('14-15) - 41 assists
Mark Voakes ('10-11) - 37 assists
News and Notes: Vinny Saponari is fifth in the league with 41 assists and tied for 12th with 58 points (Allen's Chad Costello leads the ECHL with 96 points)...Chris McCarthy has nine points (3g, 6a) in his last seven games...Sean Escobedo played his 100th professional game last Saturday against Florida...The Road Warriors are 17-0-0 when leading after two periods... Greenville also leads the league with 10 wins when going beyond regulation (10-3)...Elmira has one game in hand on the Road Warriors, while sixth-place Orlando has five games in hand and is just five points back.
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"Dom"-ination: Rookie forward Domenic Alberga was signed on March 25th to fill the void created when Trevor Parkes was promoted to the AHL's Worcester Sharks in February. Alberga debuted on March 27th at Reading and scored his first professional goal one night later in Wheeling. Last week, the 22-year old out of Ryerson University added two more goals and has quickly become a fan favorite, scoring in three of his first six pro games.
East Division Standings
Florida Everblades (37-13-6) = 80 points in 56 games
Reading Royals (38-15-4) = 80 points in 57 games
South Carolina Stingrays (34-18-7) = 75 points in 59 games
Greenville Road Warriors (31-25-3) = 65 points in 59 games
Orlando Solar Bears (28-21-6) = 62 points in 55 games
Elmira Jackals (28-24-6) = 62 points in 58 games
Gwinnett Gladiators (17-36-5) = 39 points in 58 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.
Next Time Out: Greenville opens a three-game road trip on Wednesday in Estero, Florida with the team's seventh meeting against the Florida Everblades this season. The puck drops at 7:30 p.m. at Germain Arena and fans can listen or watch the game live via ECHL.TV.
The Road Warriors return to SANDLAPPER Securities Rink at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena on Thursday, March 19th to take on the Cincinnati Cyclones for "CDS Night" presented by SANDLAPPER Securities. Fans can purchase special tickets for the game with a portion of the proceeds donated to The Center for Developmental Services by visiting GreenvilleRoadWarriors.com/CDS.
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The 7:00 p.m. contest will also feature $2 food and beverage specials as well as special $5 tickets available at the Box Office while supplies last. The Road Warriors will also offer the new "Student Rush" promotion 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 March 19th. For tickets or more information, please call a Road Warriors Account Executive at 864-674-PUCK or visit GreenvilleRoadWarriors.com/tickets-overview.html!
ECHL Stories from March 10, 2015
- Second Period Surge Sends Nailers Past IceMen - Evansville IceMen
- Allen Slips by Rush - Rapid City Rush
- Weekly Weather Report: the Weekly News and Notes of the Stockton Thunder - Stockton Thunder
- Dodgers V Angels Batting Helmet Giveaway Friday at Condors Game - Bakersfield Condors
- ECHL Transactions - March 10 - ECHL
- K-Wings Play Komets Tomorrow in Rescheduled Game - Kalamazoo Wings
- K-Wings Weekly - Kalamazoo Wings
- ECHL Announces Fines, Suspensions - ECHL
- Jackals Weekly - Elmira Jackals
- Mallards, Genesis Partner for Fan-Designed Game Worn Jersey Auction Saturday - Quad City Mallards
- Rioux Called up by Iowa Wild - Quad City Mallards
- Robinson Named ECHL Player of the Week - Idaho Steelheads
- Idaho's Robinson Named Sher-Wood Hockey ECHL Player of the Week - ECHL
- Scott Arnold Returns to Gwinnett - Atlanta Gladiators
- Nightingale Returns to Walleye - Toledo Walleye
- Nailers at IceMen Game Day Snap Shot - Wheeling Nailers
- Crandall Named CCM ECHL Goaltender of the Week - Colorado Eagles
- Colorado's Crandall Named CCM ECHL Goaltender of the Week - ECHL
- Americans Open Three Game Series in Rapid City - Allen Americans
- Road Warriors Weekly Report - Greenville Swamp Rabbits
- Defenseman Maxim Lamarche Recalled to Lehigh Valley - Reading Royals
- Arseneau Recalled, Traded to AHL Worcester - Indy Fuel
- ECHL Today - March 10 - ECHL
- Grizzlies Beat Ontario 4-3 to Take 2 of 3 - Utah Grizzlies
- Steelheads Salvage Standings Point in OT Loss - Idaho Steelheads
- Reign Comeback Falls Short in 4-3 Loss to Grizzlies - Ontario Reign
- Currie Wins It in Overtime for Bakersfield, 4-3 - Bakersfield Condors
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