ELMIRA, NY – The first ever playoff game in Greenville Road Warriors history is in the books. The club lived up to the team’s name earning a 5-2 victory on the road at Elmira. The Road Warriors scoring began early in the first period when team scoring leader Jimmy Kilpatrick scored a power play goal off a Wes Cunningham pass at the 6:58 mark in the opening period.
Later in the first period, The Road Warriors’ Brandon Wong found the back of the net for a second power play goal at 14:04 with Shane Harper and Brad Cole credited with assists.
Elmira lit the light at the start of the second period, when Justin Donati beat Nic Riopel off a back-door pass from Eric Lampe. The Road Warriors shook off the damage and went on the offensive. Former Jackal Brendan Connolly won an aggressive puck battle in front of Cousineau and backhanded home a rebound off of Shane Harper’s shot from the high slot.
That goal at 9:27 put Greenville back up by two at 3-1, and an old familiar face built the lead to three in the waning minutes of the period.
In his first game with Greenville in a month, Mark Voakes took a pass on a power-play from Justin Bowers and tapped it past Cousineau with just 56 seconds left in the second period.
Elmira got some offense from an unexpected source in the third period to pull within two goals of Greenville early on. Working a rush opportunity, with Dale Mahovsky and Brian Lebler, Josh Brittain made an aggressive drive to the front of the net and chipped a shot past Riopel with 5:40 gone by in the frame. Brittain only had three goals in 38 games during the regular season for the Jackals. Riopel bounced back in fine fashion from there and bid away each shot he faced for the rest of the period.
Elmira had some quality chances to tie as Connolly took a pair of penalties in the third period, but neither of them came to fruition. Cousineau was pulled for the extra attacker with just over a minute remaining, but the only scoring done in that time frame was an empty-net goal by Marc-Olivier Vallerand with 16 seconds left to play.
The Road Warriors won this game with a consistent offensive attack. The squad was three for four on the power play, but most important Greenville played as solid defensive game.
Goaltender Nic Riopel made 30 saves on 32 shots. In addition, the Road Warriors were perfect on the penalty kill, not allowing a goal on Elmira’s five power play opportunities.
Greenville Head Coach Dean Stork has stated in the past that the team “knows it can score goals” and that they have a team that is “focused on the task at hand.” Once again the team has proven that. It will take this type of effort in the ensuing games of this series in order to allow the Road Warriors to advance to the next round of the Kelly Cup Playoffs.
The first round continues Wednesday night in Elmira, before heading to Greenville for game three on Friday April, 8.
Game information provided by Greenville Road Warriors PR Ray Schmitt.
Contact author at ryan.kouvolo@prohockeynews.com .
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