ECHL Atlanta Gladiators

Gladiators Weekly

Published on March 21, 2011 under ECHL (ECHL)
Atlanta Gladiators News Release


Looking Ahead: The Gwinnett Gladiators face the top team in the Eastern Conference, the Reading Royals, three times this week at the Arena at Gwinnett Center (Wednesday, Saturday, Sunday).

The Week That Was: Coming into last week the Gladiators were tied with Cincinnati for 8th in the East, but after four straight losses (one to Cincy, and three to Florida over Pink in the Rink weekend) Gwinnett now sits five points back of the Cyclones for the last playoff spot.

Margaritaville Money: The Margaritaville Gladiators jerseys were auctioned off after the game on Sunday, and brought in $19,825 for charity.

Home Sweet Home: Four of the Glads last six games are at home and the two away games are just a couple hours away in Greenville.

Missing the Dream: Forward Akim Aliu was reassigned to Peoria (AHL) from Atlanta (NHL) on March 7th. Aliu had 20 points (12 goals) in 16 games as a Glad, but in the six games since his call-up Gwinnett is just 1-5 and is averaging only 2.2 goals per game.

Fantastic Franny: Forward Matt Francis returned from a 38-game absence (IR) on 3/11 in Elmira and found the back of the net in the third period of a 2-1 loss. It was his first tally since October 22nd (he was put on the IR on 12/3). In the six games since he returned Francis has three goals and three assists.

Forney on Fire: Forward Michael Forney now has 36 points over his last 30 games (13 g, 23 a) since the start of 2011. He has at least a point in 24 of those 30 contests.

Welcome to the ECHL: Rookie forward Patrick Knowlton registered his first point as a pro on Sunday in his third game, assisting on Michael Forney's first period goal. Knowlton had six goals and 20 assists in 36 games this season at Sacred Heart University.

Saskatoon Sensation: Rookie forward Dustin Cameron scored a goal Saturday and Sunday against the Everblades. He now has five tallies in 22 games since joining Gwinnett in a trade with Elmira.

Working Overtime: Rookie netminder Chris Carrozzi has been a workhorse for Gwinnett this season. He has started the last eight games for the Glads, and leads rookies and is 4th in the ECHL with 2,354 minutes played.

Bucking the Trend: In three game sets this season Gwinnett has typically improved the more they have seen an opponent. That wasn't the case this weekend, however. In the first game the Gladiators are just 3-4-3, but they are 7-2-0 in the second and third games (14-4-0 combined). They dropped the second and third games against Florida this past weekend.

A Full 60 Minutes: The score after the first two periods has been crucial for the Gladiators this season. Gwinnett is a perfect 21-0-0 this season when leading after two periods of play but the Gladiators are 2-25-6 when trailing after two periods of play this season. The only other team that is undefeated when leading after two periods is Alaska (32-0-0).

This Week's Games:

Wednesday March 23rd vs. Reading - 7:05 p.m.

Saturday March 26th vs. Reading - 7:05 p.m.

Sunday March 27th vs. Reading - 4:05 p.m.

Last Week:

March 20th, Gwinnett 3, Florida 5 - L The Arena at Gwinnett Center, Duluth, GA

The Gwinnett Gladiators wrapped up their season series with the Florida Everblades Sunday at the Arena at Gwinnett Center, losing their fourth straight game and fifth in their last six by a score of 5-3. The Glads are still five points out of the playoff race with only six games left in the 2010-11 season. Justin Milo brought Gwinnett even with Florida at 3-3 2:17 into the third, putting in a rebound in the crease on the 5-on-3 advantage with Paul Flache and Pat Galivan assisting. Despite several chances in the third the Blades again pulled away late. Mathieu Roy potted two goals in the second half of the third, one coming at the 14:37 mark and one with just 32 seconds remaining, to seal a 5-3 Florida win. Jaroslav Janus stopped 34 of 37 shots after being assigned to Florida from the AHL the day of the game.

March 19th, Gwinnett 2, Florida 5 - L The Arena at Gwinnett Center, Duluth, GA

For the second night in a row the Gwinnett Gladiators dominated the first period, scoring back-to-back goals and setting the pace for the Florida Everblades at the Arena at Gwinnett Center on Saturday night. Once again it didn't last for long, and despite being out-shot 44-27 the Blades scored five unanswered goals to cap a 5-2 win. The Glads (29-29-7) opened the first with two goals just 15 seconds apart. The first came from rookie forward Dustin Cameron on the powerplay to snap a 0-9 drought on the man advantage. Matt Duffy and Pat Galivan added assists on the goal at 3:35. Michael Forney then picked up the second tally, his 17th of the season, after speeding by a defender to the outside and beating goaltender Bobby Goepfert to push the lead to 2-0. Florida then rallied for five unanswered to give the Glads their third loss in a row.

March 18th, Gwinnett 2, Florida 3 - L The Arena at Gwinnett Center, Duluth, GA

The Gwinnett Gladiators were flying high through one period Friday night at the Arena at Gwinnett Center, dominating the Florida Everblades and taking a 2-0 lead into the break to open Pink in the Rink weekend. The second period was a different story entirely. The Blades (33-27-4) scored two goals just 1:44 apart, and despite being out-shot 18-4 in the third benefited from a fluke goal off the skate of Pat Galivan to seal a 3-2 Florida win. Bobby Goepfert stole the show for the Blades, stopping 45 of 47 shots and denying Gwinnett (29-28-7) on several point blank chances down the stretch. Chris Carrozzi made 24 saves in a losing cause.

March 15th, Gwinnett 3, Cincinnati 4 - L The Arena at Gwinnett Center, Duluth, GA

The Gwinnett Gladiators put up a valiant effort, but came up short against the Cincinnati Cyclones in a 4-3 loss Tuesday night at the Arena at Gwinnett Center. The win moves Cincinnati into the eighth and final playoff spot in the East. Gwinnett falls to ninth and have dropped two of their last three. Trailing 4-1 early in the third, the Gladiators fought their way back into the game. Forward Devin Timberlake collected his first goal as a Gladiator at the halfway mark in the third to make it 4-2. He joined Gwinnett on March 2nd as part of a trade with the Reading Royals. Kyle Kucharski had the assist on the goal, and kept the puck alive in front for several point blank opportunities before Timberlake cashed in. Matt Duffy picked up the Glads second goal of the period and his fourth of the season at the 16:22 mark to cut the deficit to one, hammering home a one-timer shortly after a powerplay expired. That was as close as Gwinnett would get.

This Week's Promotions:

SATURDAY vs. READING ‚¬Â¦

$5.00 Cap Night and "Star Wars: Clone Wars" Appearance

3,000 high-quality Gladiators Caps that will be on sale to all Gladiators fans in attendance for only $5.00 each through the end of 1st intermission or until supplies run out. There is a limit of one $5.00 cap that can be purchased per ticket possessed. Simply visit our special Cap Booths on the night of the game, show your ticket(s) and you can buy the Cap for only $5.00!

There will also be a LIVE appearance by characters from "Star Wars: The Clone Wars", presented by Xfinity from Comcast and Cartoon Network!

SUNDAY ‚¬Â¦

Last Kroger Family Sunday of the Season!

The Gladiators battle the Reading Royals during the last Kroger Family Sunday of the 2010-2011 season. Get a Kroger Family Sunday package for the game and get four (4) premium level tickets (in selected sections), $5 Gladiators Merchandise Coupon, One Gladiators Game Program and one (1) Kroger Family Meal (good for an 8 piece mixed wishbone baked chicken, 2 sides & a 2-Liter soda) all for only $ 50.00!

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ECHL Stories from March 21, 2011


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