GREENVILLE, S.C. – As the second half of the 2010-2011 season gets underway, the Greenville Road Warriors, the franchise formerly known as the Johnstown Chiefs, are holding onto first place in the ECHL’s Eastern Conference, South Division. The South Division also includes the Florida Everblades, the Gwinnett Gladiators and the two-time Kelly Cup Champion South Carolina Stingrays. With a lineup like that, getting to first place, especially for a new team, has not been an easy task, and has taken a complete team effort to get the Road Warriors to the top of the division.
Several players off the Road Warriors roster are listed in several ECHL league leader categories. To start off, both goaltenders are in the top twenty of all ECHL net minders. Dov-Grumet Morris, who is currently on loan to the Connecticut Whale of the AHL, is second with a 2.32 GAA. Nic Riopel is fourteenth with a 2.78 aggregate. The Road Warriors skaters boast several players that are league leaders. Veteran forward Mark Voakes comes in at thirteen in overall scoring with forty-five points. Marc-Olivier Vallerand is first in the ECHL in short-handed points with six, and also is currently sixth among ECHL rookies in overall points with thirty-three. Blake Partlett ranks fifth amongst defensemen in overall scoring with twenty-six points. Julien Brouillette and Justin Bowers, who both have been called up to the AHL, also rank among the league’s best in power play goals.
At the time this article was written, the Road Warriors hold a 29-17-1 record with sixty points. The Everblades sit only one point back at fifty-nine, the Stingrays are four points behind in third place, Gwinnett is in last place with forty-seven points. The second half of the season won’t be easy within the South Division, with only four points, between first and third, it will be a tight race to the playoffs, which means the race starts to the playoffs starts now and each team will be playing their best hockey to get into the post-season.
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