Recognize

One week ago today was the second benefit night the Road Warriors hosted this season and it turned out to be a wonderful event. Not only did the Road Warriors send the fans home from the BI-LO Center happy with a win, but the second-largest crowd of the season to that point came out to join in. Everything from the pregame ceremony to the intermission activities to the jersey auction appeared to go off without a real hitch. It was a smooth process in terms of putting on the event, but it wouldn't have been possible without the tireless work of many people behind the scenes. Since not many of them get public recognition, I wanted to take some time to give them their due.

Off the top the folks with the Rotary Club of Greenville deserve so much credit for the success of the night. Among the many who pitched in, I specifically want to thank Judy Prince, Charles Warne, Betty Parker-Ellis, and Robyn Zimmerman for heading up the efforts of planning and organizing the night. Late last summer the Rotary folks and Road Warriors sat down to brainstorm ideas on how we could help them raise money to reach their $30,000 goal to go towards the "End Polio Now" campaign. That was when "Stop Polio Cold" was born and the process of taking it from an idea to an event was a rewarding one. All of the Rotary Club of Greenville did an exemplary job of getting people to come to the game and raising awareness about the event. Without a great partner like them, none of what you saw would have been possible.

Everyone on the Road Warriors' staff had a huge hand in making the night great, as well, but a few members deserve special recognition. VP of Business Ops Matt Loughran was right there from Day 1 helping to make sure all of the details were sewn up so that there wouldn't be any surprises on game night. Also, Geoff Cheek was instrumental in working with Rotary on a daily basis in the weeks leading up to organize the volunteers, assist in distribution of tickets, and much more. Kathryn Williams, Peggy Kourlas, Carther Metcalf, Dustin McDaniels, Andy Linn, Simone Shahdadi, Katy Grindstaff, Emily Pittman, and Andrew Ullery all were on point with helping the jersey auction run smoothly to cap off the night. That crew had a wicked weekend overall because most stayed overnight at the BI-LO Center the next night to work as chaperones at Scout Night.

As well as the inaugural Rotary event went, I would expect it to become an annual occurrence and it would be a pleasure to work with Rotary every year on an event. I would be remiss, too, if I didn't take a moment to thank the fans who gave their support to this game. All of the hard work would not have mean a thing if fans hadn't come out in force as much as they did to help fill the building. The biggest key to a successful benefit night at a game is having a strong crowd to support it, and we had a great crowd last Friday. So, again, thank you Road Warriors Nation for helping to make "Stop Polio Cold" night a very memorable night.

It hasn't been easy being on the road so much this month of February and we're all looking forward to spending more time with you all inside the BI-LO Center in March. It's going to be a great run up to the Kelly Cup Playoffs and sharing it with the great Road Warriors fans will be a thrill. I hope you'll tune in and catch a game or two with me this weekend and get ready for a big three-in-three weekend next weekend. And don't forget, for those of you who want to see some new faces, there are only two home games against South Division opponents. There are a ton of North and Atlantic Division opponents coming in over the month of March and it will be fun to see new names and faces.

On, now, to this week's song of the week. It's that time of the year to be getting excited, geared up for the thrill of playoff hockey. So I think it's appropriate to have some pump-up music for this week. In my opinion, metal music is the best kind of pump-up music and since it's my blog I control the dial :). That being the case, I give you my favorite metal song going right now:

RANDOM THOUGHTS FROM THE ROAD

Well hello Road Warriors Nation! It has been a whirlwind three weeks with the team as we've been spending a ton of time away from the BI-LO Center. The odyssey continues tonight with a visit to Wings Stadium to take on Kalamazoo. It's a great opportunity for the team to finish off the week with two wins in three games and possibly further solidify its spot atop the South Division. Kalamazoo should provide a good test with its veteran club playing on home ice. I hope you'll join me on the broadcast side starting at 7:15 with the pregame show and then faceoff at 7:30. In the meantime, since I haven't had a chance to flush out any well-thought ideas into a post I have a collection of random thoughts from the road. In no particular order here they are:

• It's been great getting to catch up with some college friends on this road trip. I'm not very good about making phone calls/writing emails to stay in touch with old friends so being able to go to their towns and spend some time has been great.
• The Fighter with Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale is the best movie I have seen in a loooooong time.
• I now understand why retirees from the north go for winter homes in Florida.
• Being in a snow-covered town with absolutely zero chance to go skiing is akin to torture (to me at least). 
• I was happy to be away from the BI-LO Center while the circus was at the arena because I am afraid of clowns and probably would have had a breakdown if I had seen one up close.
• After the episode in Florida, it is a pleasure to work with fans as classy as the ones who attend Road Warriors games in Greenville.
• It was a pleasure to talk with former Grrrowl goalie and assistant coach Nick Victucci last night. Greenville fans were certainly lucky to have a person like that representing their town and team.
• The South Division is, without question, the toughest and most competitive division in the Eastern Conference, if not the entire ECHL. Don't be surprised if the last team standing out of the South is playing for some hardware come late May/early June.
• If you're ever in Toledo, the Blarney Irish Pub near the baseball stadium is really worth checking out. Had the bangers and mash for lunch there yesterday and it was delicious.
• Being on the road so much in the winter makes it hard to see concerts. Was a bit disappointed to miss Gaelic Storm at the Handlebar in Greenville a couple weekends ago.
• And, finally, if you're going to be traveling a lot a good blanket and comfy shoes are essential.

The last item of business for this post is the Song of the Week. After catching up with old friends over the last two weeks I was reminded of this song and how much I played it in the summer of 2006. It's "Swing Life Away" by Rise Against: