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ECHL Greenville Swamp Rabbits

Warriors Knock off Komets in 3-2 Shootout Win

January 10, 2015 - ECHL (ECHL)
Greenville Swamp Rabbits News Release


GREENVILLE, S.C. - Chris McCarthy scored the first and last goals on Saturday night against the league's top team and helped the Grenville Road Warriors (22-13-1), proud ECHL affiliate of the New York Rangers and the AHL's Hartford Wolf Pack, to a 3-2 shootout victory over the Fort Wayne Komets (25-6-3) in front of 4,564 fans at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena.

After the Komets evened the game with less than 19 seconds left in regulation, McCarthy, Kyle Jean and Vinny Saponari each scored in a five-round shootout for the win. Between the pipes, All-Star goaltender Jeff Malcolm (13-7-0) made 37 saves in regulation, and three more in the shootout, for his team-leading 13th victory.

Greenville also improved to 11-5-0 on SANDLAPPER Securities Rink this season.

The Road Warriors struck first less than two minutes into the opening frame when McCarthy capitalized on a Komets' turnover. From the Fort Wayne slot, Trevor Parkes stripped All-Star defenseman James Martin and backhanded a shot on target that was denied by goaltender Roman Will. As the play continued, the puck slid to McCarthy in the slot who pushed a shot into the back of the net for his eighth goal of the season at the 1:55 mark.

Fort Wayne answered at 9:26 of the second period courtesy of Cody Sol's fourth goal of the season. With a head of steam, Matthew Pistilli gained the zone and fed the puck to the left circle, where Sol ripped a one-timer past Malcolm's glove for the equalizer.

Saponari put the Road Warriors back on top just 2:13 into the third period with his 10th goal of the season and team-leading 28th point. From the left wing, Parkes found McCarthy in front, who continued the puck to Saponari at the back door for a quick shot to complete the tic-tac-toe play.

With just 1:20 remaining in regulation, the Komets pulled Will for the extra attacker and worked their magic to send the game into overtime. Joey Leach broke his stick on a shot from the left point, but the puck slid to Christian Ouellette in the slot who backhanded a chance in front. With Malcolm out of position, Mike Embach completed the play from the right side with his 13th goal of the season to tie the game at 2-2.

Following five minutes of scoreless hockey in overtime, the Road Warriors received goals from Saponari, Jean and McCarthy in a five-round shootout. Pistilli scored the only shootout tally for Fort Wayne.

Greenville finished the game 0-for-3 on the power play and 1-for-1 on the penalty kill. Will (3-1-2) made 37 saves in the losing effort.

The Road Warriors outshot the Komets for the second game in a row, 40-39.

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 conclude their three-game weekend series tomorrow with a 3:00 p.m. puck drop against in-state rival South Carolina at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena. Following the game, fans will be able to skate with their favorite Road Warriors players on SANDLAPPER Securities Rink 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! In addition, Greenville will wear its specialty New York Rangers style jerseys for the second time this season! 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 game live.

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