Greenville, top seed in the East, face Elmira in Round One

GREENVILLE, S.C. – The Greenville Road Warriors are the top-seeded team

in the Eastern Conference in just their first year of play, and will face the Elmira Jackals in the opening round of the playoffs. The franchise, formerly known as the Johnstown Chiefs, moved to Greenville prior to the start of the 2010-2011 regular season.
 
With a new city, a new building, and a new head coach in former Cincinnati Cyclone Assistant Coach Dean Stork, the franchise looked ahead for a bright future… little did anyone know when the club made the move that they would finish as the best team in the Eastern Conference.
 
The team got off to a slow start, but by the time the halfway point of the season came around, the Road Warriors were in the first place in the South Division. The squad battled and slowly began to move away from the pack.
 
“We have a group of guys that are very focused on the task at hand,” said Head Coach Dean Stork.”They were focused on getting every point we could get at the end of the regular season and finish as the top seed. Now they are focused on Elmira and winning the first round of the playoffs.”
 
That focus was evident during the final three games against Gwinnett. Greenville out-scored Gwinnett 15-6 over the final weekend series.
 
“Gwinnett is a good team, sure they have had a tough season, but they still are a talented team capable of winning on any given night,” said Stork. “We know we can score goals, and we went out there and did just that.”
 
Now the focus shifts to the post-season and a best of five game series with the Elmira Jackals. Elmira finished the 2010-2011 regular season with a 32-30-7 record, giving the Jackals a total of seventy-four points, which allowed them to take the final spot in the Eastern Conference. Elmira and Greenville meet just twice in the regular season, in a weekend series in Greenville back on March 5 and 6. That series was split with Greenville taking the first game with a 5-3 score, and Elmira winning the second game
6-5.
 
Elmira, in just its fourth season, has made the post-season each. In 2008, the Jackals were defeated in the first round by the Reading Royals. In 2009, they made it to round two, where they were defeated by the Cincinnati Cyclones. Last season, the Florida Everblades defeated the Jackals in the first round. Now the Jackals hope to end the Road Warriors inaugural year and make it through to the second round.
 
The Road Warriors have the advantage in the series, as the team travels to Elmira for games one and two on Tuesday, April 5 and Wednesday, April 6, then will return to the home ice for game three on Friday, April 8. If necessary, game four will be played on Saturday, April 9 and game five the following Monday.
 
In celebration of the team’s finish as the top team, the Road Warriors will be hosting a “Playoff Tailgate Block Party” on the Plaza of the Bi-Lo Center on Friday April 8, prior to game. Everyone is invited to this two hour pre-game party.
 
Contact author at ryan.kouvolo@prohockeynews.com