It has been a season of firsts in the Road Warriors' inaugural season here in Greenville. Added to the list, tonight, will be the team's first game seven in the Kelly Cup playoffs. The game against the Nailers promises to be a heart-wrenching, edge-of-your-seat 60-minute (or more) affair to decide who moves on to play the Kalamazoo Wings in the conference final. The do-or-die nature of the game is sure to make any observer or participant quite anxious. How appropriate is it, then, that the Road Warriors have the most experienced Game Seven man in the ECHL manning the bench tonight?
Dean Stork has been involved in a league-record nine game sevens prior to tonight. Five have been as a coach and four were as a player. He has emerged victorious in seven of those nine game sevens. That includes wins in a pair of game sevens last season over the Charlotte Checkers (conference semifinals) and Reading (conference finals). The series win over Reading was history making because the Cyclones became the first team in ECHL history to come back from a 3-0 series deficit and emerge victorious. There might be only one person in the building tonight who won't feel the pressure of Game Seven and with that guy leading the Road Warriors, it certainly won't hurt their chances.
With that said, here's my look in at, and my thoughts from, today's morning skate.
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