ECHL Greenville Swamp Rabbits

Warriors Bite Solar Bears in 3-2 Thriller

Published on March 26, 2015 under ECHL (ECHL)
Greenville Swamp Rabbits News Release


Greenville, SC - The Greenville Road Warriors (34-28-4), proud ECHL affiliate of the New York Rangers and the AHL's Hartford Wolf Pack, received contributions from Kyle Jean, Dallas Jackson and Bretton Cameron on Thursday and earned a thrilling 3-2 victory against the Orlando Solar Bears (34-23-7) at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena. Between the pipes, Jason Missiaen made 26 saves for the win, including several key stops in the final minutes.

With the victory, the Road Warriors (72 points) are three points behind Orlando for the final playoff spot in the East Division. Greenville is now three points ahead of Elmira as well with six games remaining in the regular season.

The Warriors and Solar Bears concluded their 10-game season series with five wins each.

Orlando opened the scoring just 4:06 into the first period when Eric Knodel beat Missiaen blocker-side for his fifth goal of the season. Solar Bears' leading scorer Jacob Cepis began the attack from the right circle, where he delayed and sent a pass to Knodel in front for a forehand shot into the back of the net.

The Warriors responded less than five minutes later with Cameron's fourth goal of the season. Jean set it up from the right corner when he corralled a loose puck and slipped a pretty pass to Cameron at the doorstep, who buried a one-time finish. Jean and Paul Rodrigues each earned a helper at the 8:12 mark.

Jackson gave Greenville its first lead on the power play at 11:36 of the first period with his second goal of the season. With Brady Vail in the box for hooking, Josh Nicholls and Michael St. Croix worked together to set up Jackson at the high slot, where he launched a cannon past goaltender Garret Sparks.

The Solar Bears drew even just 27 seconds into the middle frame when Ben Johnson leaned on his left foot from the left circle and beat Missiaen with a wrist shot. It was Johnson's second goal of the season.

The remainder of the second period was a back-and-forth ping pong match until the 17:13 mark when Jean netted the game-winning goal. During a scramble in front, Thomas Frazee and Sean Escobedo were both unsuccessful on shots against Sparks, but Jean guided home a backhand shot from the right post for his 14th goal of the season. Frazee and Escobedo registered the helpers.

Following a scoreless third period, Solar Bears' head coach Vince Williams pulled Sparks with a little more than 2:30 left, but Missiaen and the Warriors' defense held strong to preserve the win.

The contest included one fight when Joey Holka and Carl Nielsen dropped the gloves at 10:25 of the second period.

Greenville finished the game 1-for-2 on the power play and 1-for-1 on the penalty kill. Missiaen (15-15-3) earned the victory with 26 saves, while Sparks (18-7-2) stopped 38 shots and suffered the loss. It snapped his five-game win streak.

The Road Warriors outshot Orlando 41-28.

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 heads to Duluth, Georgia on Saturday for a 7:05 p.m. puck drop against the Gwinnett Gladiators at the Arena at Gwinnett Center. F ans can listen or watch the game live via ECHL.TV .

Next Home Game: The Road Warriors return to SANDLAPPER Securities Rink at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena on Thursday, April 2nd to continue their I-85 rivalry against the Gwinnett Gladiators. The 7:00 p.m. contest will feature playoff intensity, as well as $2 food and beverage specials and limited $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 April 2nd.

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 26, 2015


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