ECHL Greenville Swamp Rabbits

Warriors Strong in 5-2 Win over Cincinnati

Published on March 19, 2015 under ECHL (ECHL)
Greenville Swamp Rabbits News Release


Greenville, SC - The Greenville Road Warriors (32-27-4), proud ECHL affiliate of the New York Rangers and the AHL's Hartford Wolf Pack, put together a solid, all-around performance on Thursday in a 5-2 victory over the Cincinnati Cyclones (27-27-6) at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena. Anthony Luciani led the offense with three points (2g, 1a), while Michael St. Croix (1g, 1a), Thomas Frazee (1g, 1a), Josh Nicholls (1g, 1a) and Vinny Saponari (2a) each produced a multi-point effort.

Despite the win, the Road Warriors (68 points) remain three points behind the Orlando Solar Bears for the final playoff spot in the East Division. Greenville holds sole possession of fifth place, as Elmira had the night off.

In addition, the Road Warriors improved to 17-12-0 on SANDLAPPER Securities Rink and 3-0-0 against Cincinnati this season. The victory also snapped Greenville's six-game slide.

The game got off to a physical start when Bretton Cameron and Geoff Irwin dropped the gloves just seven seconds after the opening faceoff. The tilt brought the crowd to its feet and set the tone for a thrilling contest.

Luciani opened the scoring with a highlight reel goal on the power play at 8:15 of the first period. With Josh McFadden in the box for tripping, Sean Escobedo guided a pass to the left wing for Luciani, who hammered a one-timer off the back crossbar for his 23rd goal of the season. Escobedo and Saponari earned the helpers.

Cincinnati evened the game at 16:24 of the first period when Garrett Noonan beat goaltender Jason Missiaen on a low shot from a sharp angle on the left side for his first professional goal.

The Road Warriors pulled away in the second period with a pair of even-strength goals to take a 3-1 advantage. St. Croix put Greenville on top at the 6:50 mark when he surprised goaltender Rob Madore with a wrist shot from the hash marks directly following a faceoff for his ninth goal of the season. Frazee and Luciani each recorded an assist.

Nicholls extended Greenville's advantage at 10:41 of the middle frame when he slammed home a rebound from the left side of the doorstep following Mike Banwell's drive from the perimeter. Nicholls is now second on the team with 19 goals this season, while Saponari earned a helper and is now second on the club with 61 points.

The Cyclones cut their deficit to one at 14:40 of the third period courtesy of Branden Gracel's 13th goal of the season, and fourth on the power play. Following a delay of game minor accessed to Missiaen, Shayne Taker ripped a one-timer from the blue line that Gracel tipped in the slot to make it 3-2.

Less than three minutes later, Frazee answered with his second goal in as many games during a scramble in front of the Cyclones cage. St. Croix generated a pair of quality scoring chances from the doorstep, but Madore held strong before the puck trickled to Frazee on the right side, who punched it home for his 17th goal of the season.

Greenville sealed the deal with an empty netter at 18:37 of the third period when Chris McCarthy flipped a pass to the left wing for Luciani, who buried it for the exclamation point.

Both teams finished the game 1-for-5 on the power play, while Missiaen (13-14-3) made 27 saves for the victory. Madore stopped 41 shots in the loss.

Greenville outshot Cincinnati 46-29. It was the most chances the Road Warriors have generated since January 24th at Orlando (52).

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 return to SANDLAPPER Securities Rink at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena tomorrow at 7:00 p.m. for "Faith and Family Night" presented by Certified Automotive and HIS Radio. The game will feature a special post-game concert performed by Christian artist Chris August, well-known for his No. 1 hit song "Starry Night." The evening will also include testimonials by Road Warriors' players who will talk about how their faith plays a role in their daily lives as professional athletes. In addition, the popular Warrior Fun Pack is available and provides a great opportunity for families to come out and enjoy the game! The Warrior Fun Pack includes four (4) red-level tickets, four (4) hot dogs, four (4) fountain drinks, four (4) bags of chips and two (2) Warriors drawstring bags for JUST $60! Tickets for "Faith and Family Night" can be purchased at GreenvilleRoadWarriors.com/Chris-August .

Race Night: Rev your engines up for "Race Night" this Saturday featuring a pre-game car show courtesy of the members of the Upstate Mustang Club. Matt Kenseth's #20 Dollar General NASCAR Toyota will also be on display before and during the game on the Bon Secours Wellness Arena concourse. The puck drops at 7:00 p.m. against Indy.

For tickets or more information, please call a Road Warriors Account Executive at 864-674-PUCK or visit GreenvilleRoadWarriors.com/tickets-overview.html F ans can listen or watch the game live via ECHL.TV .

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ECHL Stories from March 19, 2015


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