Gladiators Season Ends with 2-1 loss to Everblades
Published on April 19, 2009 under ECHL (ECHL)
Atlanta Gladiators News Release
A second period goal from J.C. Sawyer gave the Gwinnett Gladiators the first lead of the game but they couldn't hold on in a 2-1 loss to the Florida Everblades at the Arena at Gwinnett Center on Sunday, April 19th. The Everblades take the South Division Semi-Final best-of-seven series 4-games-to-1 with the win. Gwinnett's season ends with the loss to the Everblades.
The Gladiators and Everblades both had many scoring chances during the first period, but netminders Josh Johnson and Dave Leggio shut the other team out making nine and seven saves, respectively.
It was the Gladiators who took the first lead of the evening at 2:43 of the middle stanza when J-C Sawyer notched his first goal of the post season. Leggio lost control of his stick and ended up lying on his stomach in the Florida crease only to see the puck find its way into his net. Tom Zanoski extended his post-season point streak to five consecutive games with an assist on the Sawyer goal. Less than ten minutes later, the Everblades tied up the contest on the power play with a marker from Ross Carlson, his second in as many games.
The final period proved to be a netminding duel between Johnson and Leggio until Yannick Tifu put away the deciding goal at 19:36 of the third period to give the Everblades the final 2-1 victory. Johnson made 34 saves between the pipes for Gwinnett while Leggio made 21 for Florida.
Began in 1988-89 with five teams playing in four states, the Premier 'AA' Hockey League has grown into a coast-to-coast league that will have 23 teams in 16 states and British Columbia playing 864 games from Oct. 17, 2008 to Apr. 4, 2009. Eighteen of the 23 teams have played at least five years in their current city.
The third-longest tenured professional hockey league behind only the National Hockey League and the American Hockey League, the ECHL averaged 4,174 per game last season, marking the fourth year in row and the 16th time in the last 18 years that the league has averaged over 4,000 fans. The league has drawn over four million fans each of the last five years and 11 times in the past 12 seasons.
The Gwinnett Gladiators will open their seventh season in October of 2009 as a proud member of the ECHL - season ticket packages are on sale now. In addition, the Gladiators offer several unique multi-game ticket packages as well as discounted group rates, suite rentals, and birthday parties. For more information call 770-497-5100 or log on to gwinnettgladiators.com.
The Gladiators are the AA affiliate of the Atlanta Thrashers and play all home games at the spectacular 11,355-seat Arena at Gwinnett Center, located just off I-85 on Sugarloaf Parkway in Duluth, where parking is always free.
ECHL Stories from April 19, 2009
- Thunder Lead Series 3-2, Push Ontario to Brink of Elimination - Stockton Thunder
- Stingrays Outlast Checkers 4-3; Move on to Second Round - South Carolina Stingrays
- Devils Force Game Seven with Double Overtime Thriller, 3-2 - Trenton Devils
- Reign Drops Match To Thunder, 4-2 - Ontario Reign
- Checkers Season Concludes With Game Six Loss To Stingrays - Charlotte Checkers
- Wranglers Kelly Cup Daily - Las Vegas Wranglers
- Blades announce dates for opening games of round two - Florida Everblades
- Tifu's late goal pushes Blades into second round - Florida Everblades
- Gladiators Season Ends with 2-1 loss to Everblades - Atlanta Gladiators
- Salmon Kings To Meet Aces In Second Round Of Playoffs - Victoria Salmon Kings
- ECHL Transactions - ECHL
- Cyclones-Wheeling Game Seven Preview - Cincinnati Cyclones
- Checkers Must Win Game Six Or Season Is Over - Charlotte Checkers
- Game Preview (game 5): Stockton Thunder Vs. Ontario Reign - Stockton Thunder
- Cyclones, Nailers Play 14th ECHL Game Seven Monday - ECHL
- Kelly Cup Quest Daily - South Carolina Stingrays
- ECHL Today - ECHL
- Aces Polish off Grizz; Victoria Next - Alaska Aces
- Derlago snipes OT winner, Condors lead series 3-2 - Bakersfield Condors
- Condors Take 3-2 Series Lead With 4-3 OT Win In Game Five - Las Vegas Wranglers
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