Hello Road Warriors nation! Radio Ray here checking in from WesBanco Arena, home of the Wheeling Nailers. After a nine-hour, or so, bus ride we have arrived safely in what they call the "Friendly City" of Wheeling, West Virginia. I'm not exactly sure how long we were on the bus because we left at 11:00 p.m. last night and I slept pretty much the entire time. When we stopped for breakfast I was in such a fog (hint: I'm not a morning person) that I was barely able to stumble out of the bus and make it across the street to Panera for breakfast. The ham, egg, and cheese sandwich and green tea did wonders for waking me up, though.
Now that I'm finally awake I'm excited to be here in Wheeling. Not that the town is a booming metropolis with tons to do; far from it, actually. It's because this is my old stomping grounds. Having been with the Johnstown Chiefs for three seasons before coming to Greenville, I spent a lot of time in Wheeling and at WesBanco. It seemed like the Chiefs played down here 20 times every season with the drive only being two and a half hours. It was a fun rivalry because the teams didn't like each other at all, the fans despised the other teams, and the towns were very similar. Even if both clubs were having a tough season, the games between Wheeling and Johnstown were always important for bragging rights.
One of my favorite memories from this rivalry was in my first season when the Chiefs had a game in Wheeling in either late November or early December. Road Warriors assistant coach Jason Spence was a renowned tough guy for the Chiefs during his playing days, much like T.J. Reynolds is for the Road Warriors now. Opposing players respected Spence and there weren't many challengers who wanted to drop the mitts with him. Well this night the Nailers had former Pittsburgh Penguins enforcer Francois Leroux in the line up. Leroux was a formidable fighter for the Pens in the early to mid 1990's and here's a video of him taking down Tony Twist who was a really good NHL fighter:
Now, I don't have video proof of Spence's tilt against Leroux so you'll have to take it on my word. After an initial tussle that resulted in matching roughing minors for the pair, Spence and Leroux dropped the gloves almost immediately after exiting the penalty box. It was an evenly matched bout until Spence landed a big right followed by a few uppercuts that earned him the KO. I used to love watching Leroux when I was a kid and to see one of the guys on the team I covered just clean his clock was a very cool experience. I've also made sure over the years to stay on Spence's good side. Just saying...
Another great memory was calling the first head coaching victory for Road Warriors owner/president/general manager Neil Smith. With the Chiefs struggling to win games last year Smith took over coaching duties in early January. The team lost its first two games with Neil behind the bench but showed improved effort and play. It was an important game for the Nailers with a chance to move up the North Division standings so they televised the game on a local station in Wheeling. A big crowd was on hand at WesBanco, too. The Chiefs grabbed the early lead on a power play goal but Wheeling kept battling and eventually took a 3-2 lead with an early second period power play score. Johnstown wouldn't back down and picked up a power play score with 13:11 gone by in the second and set the stage for a dramatic third period. The Chiefs had to survive three shorthanded situations in the third including a tripping minor to current Road Warrior Connor Shields with 1:58 left to play. In overtime Wheeling's T.J. Fox took a double minor for high-sticking 17 seconds in and the Chiefs won the game 17 seconds later on a power play goal. For Johnstown the win didn't matter for much in the standings, but it was admirable the way the team battled for its new coach, and for itself period, to pick up an edge-of-your-seat win over a bitter rival.
Those are just two stories from my three seasons with the Chiefs. Just imagine how much else there is to tell from that rivalry with 173 games played between the clubs from 1992-93 (Wheeling's first year in the league) through 2009-10. That doesn't even include the few years when the Wheeling organization was playing in Winston-Salem, North Carolina as the Thunderbirds. In the first year of the ECHL the Chiefs and Thunderbirds played an epic seven-game series for the first Riley Cup, a series that the T-Birds won in front of almost 4,200 fans at the Cambria County War Memorial in Game 7.
It's fun to look back and be nostalgic, but it's also fun to look ahead into the Road Warriors' future. With a brand new team there is an opportunity for everyone who follows and supports the club to see the stories and the rivalries be built from the ground up. Imagine looking back in five or ten years on all the epic battles with the Stingrays, Gladiators, Everblades, or whoever else might come along. Then we'll all have our own stories to share and laugh about. But until then it's tie to just enjoy the great hockey we've been seeing out of the Road Warriors this season. This is certainly an important road trip the team is on this week and will need, in my opinion, at least three wins to make it a successful trip. Wheeling and Kalamazoo will be tough to beat in their own buildings and it certainly won't be easy.
Two last items before I wrap up today's post. I saw this video for the first time today and it's too cool to not share with you all:
Secondly I want to wish everyone a safe and happy Thanksgiving. If you're traveling to visit family I hope you arrive without any troubles on your travels and I hope you get to enjoy your time with your loved ones. It was looking like this would be my first Thanksgiving without seeing any of my family, but I'm lucky enough that my parents, brother, and sister are all coming in to Pittsburgh from St. Louis, Andover, Mass., and Hershey, PA. respectively. They're meeting up with my aunt, uncle, and two cousins to come to Wheeling for tomorrow's game and I'll get to visit with them for a bit before it's time to get to work.
So join me then for the Road Warriors and Nailers. Faceoff is at 7:05 with the Road Warriors pregame show starting at 6:50. Click the "Listen Live" link at www.greenvilleroadwarriors.com for the free internet radio broadcast or go to www.b2livetv.com to access the internet TV feed. The best way, though, to enjoy the game is to head to Bailey's on Lauren's Road for Road Warriors away game watch parties. I'll talk to you all then, and again, Happy Thanksgiving!
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Catching Up
Hey Road Warriors nation! It's Radio Ray checking in here on Sunday night, and I owe you all an apology. It has been nearly a month since my last entry and that's too long. It was not my intention when I started this blog to check in sporadically, but to use it as a regular medium to keep you informed and up-to-date on what is going on with your team. The truth of the matter is that starting up the season with six consecutive home games, and 12 of the team's first 15 games at home, has been more taxing on my time than I thought it would be. Take for example the last four days. As we prepared for the three-in-three against Florida there was much to do to get ready for the games. With coordinating interview requests from the media, helping to execute a school appearance, having multiple meetings on many different items, preparing all the game-day materials, and working the games, I was spending upwards of 14 hours at the BI-LO Center offices each day. Even on non-game days you can find me on the third floor for about 10 hours a day on average. It's no reason, though, to neglect the blog so now that I'm better settled into the routine I'll be posting more regularly. On with the entry:
THOUGHTS ON THE WEEKEND:
This was the best weekend that the Road Warriors have had in the early stages of this season. And that's not solely because the team won three straight over a divisional opponent. This was the best weekend for the Road Warriors because of progress. On Thursday we saw some disturbing trends from early in the season continue. Greenville built up a substantial lead with good play over the first two periods only to see its opponent battle back and nearly sent the game to overtime. On Friday the lead was built up big again with good play through the first two periods and most of the third. But the Warriors backed off, maybe lost focus, late in the third and allowed Florida to battle back to within three. A little bit better on Friday but still not all the way there. Finally on Saturday we saw Greenville put together a full 60-minute performance. A shorthanded goal in the first followed by a pair of second period goals and then solid defence and goaltending in the third to seal the win. I think this young team grew together a good deal over these three games and really learned how to put a full game together.
Nic Riopel is the real deal. The rookie goalie out of Beloiel, Quebec earned his first pro shutout in the win yesterday and is tied for the league lead with six wins. If Nic keeps playing this way and Dov Grumet-Morris finds his groove Greenville will undoubtedly have the best goaltending duo in the ECHL.
Scoring is a team effort. Greenville has more active players averaging a point per game or better than any other team in the ECHL. Six players are at that threshold which is very impressive. Look at the goal scoring leaders on the team for proof of how deep the talent is. The leading goal scorer, Brendan Connolly, centers the "third line" and in second is Julien Brouillette who is a defenceman. And I put third line in quotation marks because some teams could probably use the Road Warriors' third line as their top unit. If the balance stays consistent on this team it will be very dangerous all season.
Hockey fans in Greenville are great. I have been impressed by the energy and enthusiasm at the BI-LO Center so far this season. It's easy to tall that hockey fans in the Upstate are glad to have a hockey team back and that they're very into this Road Warriors team. It's a lot of fun to be in the building with a loud, energetic crowd that enjoys cheering for its home team. I've got to give props to the folks up in The War Room, too. You guys have some great chants and cheers, and I love that you ask how much time is left in the period each period around the 1:00 mark. I'm really looking forward to enjoying the rest of the season with all of you.
The win streak. Yes the Road Warriors have won six in a row on home ice and lead the league with seven home wins on the season. However, I urge you all to talk about it as little as possible. I've seen the broadcaster jinx happen too many times before so let's all do our part to help the streak continue by not talking about it. It's the same reason you don't say the word shutout until it actually happens.
Looking back the only thing I would change about this weekend, if I could, would be the second half of the Penn State - Ohio State football game. It was exciting with PSU leading 14-3 at halftime but things went south quickly. Oh well, I guess you can't always have everything you want. With that being the case, I'll gladly take three straight Road Warriors wins any day,
I'm going to get gone and watch the second half of the Steelers - Patriots game here and hope my hometown team (the black and gold) can come back and pull out a win. Check back later this week for a recap of Tuesday's game against the South Carolina Stingrays and a preview of this weekend's games against Wheeling and Gwinnett.
Radio Ray out.
THOUGHTS ON THE WEEKEND:
This was the best weekend that the Road Warriors have had in the early stages of this season. And that's not solely because the team won three straight over a divisional opponent. This was the best weekend for the Road Warriors because of progress. On Thursday we saw some disturbing trends from early in the season continue. Greenville built up a substantial lead with good play over the first two periods only to see its opponent battle back and nearly sent the game to overtime. On Friday the lead was built up big again with good play through the first two periods and most of the third. But the Warriors backed off, maybe lost focus, late in the third and allowed Florida to battle back to within three. A little bit better on Friday but still not all the way there. Finally on Saturday we saw Greenville put together a full 60-minute performance. A shorthanded goal in the first followed by a pair of second period goals and then solid defence and goaltending in the third to seal the win. I think this young team grew together a good deal over these three games and really learned how to put a full game together.
Nic Riopel is the real deal. The rookie goalie out of Beloiel, Quebec earned his first pro shutout in the win yesterday and is tied for the league lead with six wins. If Nic keeps playing this way and Dov Grumet-Morris finds his groove Greenville will undoubtedly have the best goaltending duo in the ECHL.
Scoring is a team effort. Greenville has more active players averaging a point per game or better than any other team in the ECHL. Six players are at that threshold which is very impressive. Look at the goal scoring leaders on the team for proof of how deep the talent is. The leading goal scorer, Brendan Connolly, centers the "third line" and in second is Julien Brouillette who is a defenceman. And I put third line in quotation marks because some teams could probably use the Road Warriors' third line as their top unit. If the balance stays consistent on this team it will be very dangerous all season.
Hockey fans in Greenville are great. I have been impressed by the energy and enthusiasm at the BI-LO Center so far this season. It's easy to tall that hockey fans in the Upstate are glad to have a hockey team back and that they're very into this Road Warriors team. It's a lot of fun to be in the building with a loud, energetic crowd that enjoys cheering for its home team. I've got to give props to the folks up in The War Room, too. You guys have some great chants and cheers, and I love that you ask how much time is left in the period each period around the 1:00 mark. I'm really looking forward to enjoying the rest of the season with all of you.
The win streak. Yes the Road Warriors have won six in a row on home ice and lead the league with seven home wins on the season. However, I urge you all to talk about it as little as possible. I've seen the broadcaster jinx happen too many times before so let's all do our part to help the streak continue by not talking about it. It's the same reason you don't say the word shutout until it actually happens.
Looking back the only thing I would change about this weekend, if I could, would be the second half of the Penn State - Ohio State football game. It was exciting with PSU leading 14-3 at halftime but things went south quickly. Oh well, I guess you can't always have everything you want. With that being the case, I'll gladly take three straight Road Warriors wins any day,
I'm going to get gone and watch the second half of the Steelers - Patriots game here and hope my hometown team (the black and gold) can come back and pull out a win. Check back later this week for a recap of Tuesday's game against the South Carolina Stingrays and a preview of this weekend's games against Wheeling and Gwinnett.
Radio Ray out.
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