Riopel starting strong in Greenville

GREENVILLE, S.C. – One of the pieces critical to the success of any hockey team is having the right guy battling between the posts. For the Greenville Road Warriors, one of those guys is Nic Riopel.
 

Riopel, 21, was assigned to the Road Warriors by the Philadelphia Flyers after attending training camp with both the Flyers and the Adirondack Phantoms, the club’s AHL affiliate. Riopel was able to log substantial minutes on the ice since the start of the regular season, as fellow goaltender Dov Grumet-Morris was called up to the Hartford Wolf Pack of the AHL. In those first five games, Riopel posted a 3-1-1 record, made 133 saves, and only allowed 14 pucks into the net. His stellar play earned him Goalie of the Week honors for the week of October 25. “It feels really good to start out as well as I have,” said Nic Riopel. “Neil (Smith) and Coach Dean Stork have put together a great team that has come together in a short period of time.”   Without Riopel’s stellar play, the Road Warriors would not be in the position they are in to start off the club’s first season in Greenville.
 
Even though this is Riopel’s first season in the ECHL, he is no stranger to professional hockey.
 
After three years with the Moncton Wildcats of the QMJHL, Riopel was drafted by the Philadelphia Flyers as the team’s fifth round pick and the one hundred forty-second pick in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, which helped the young goaltender get his professional career off to a good start. The following season, 2009-2010, Riopel was assigned to Adirondack where he appeared in ten games.
 
Due to injuries and other roster issues in the Flyer organization, Riopel was sent back to Moncton for the rest of the season, which ended up to be a good thing. After returning, Riopel posted a 19-5 record in 25 games, and helped lead the Wildcats into the playoffs and won the QMJHL Presidents Cup championship. When the Greenville Road Warriors inked the affiliation agreement with the Philadelphia Flyers, this gave the Flyers the ability to bring Riopel back into the professional ranks, and thus as they say the rest is history.
 
“Nic is a solid goaltender and is very focused both on and off the ice,” said Head Coach Dean Stork. “When the Flyers assigned Nic, he came here with an open mind and the desire to improve his game. In the short time he has been here, Nic has improved and his work ethic has gotten better.”
 
When not on the ice, Riopel likes to watch hockey, and spend time in the gym. The Beloeil, PQ native, would like to send his best to his parents Richard and Sylvie and the rest of his family. As for the remainder of the 2010-2011, Nic Riopel looks to continue his solid play between the pipes as one of the Road Warriors goaltenders.
 
“I hope to continue to win games, and get a call up to the AHL,” said Riopel.
 
If this young goaltender continues playing well, a call up might just be in his future, but for now he is content to work hard and help the Greenville Road Warriors add wins to their record.
 
Contact Ryan.Kouvolo@prohockeynews.com