Weekly: Final Week of the 2013-14 Regular Season Ahead
April 7, 2014 - ECHL (ECHL)
Atlanta Gladiators News Release
DULUTH, Ga. - The Gwinnett Gladiators (28-37-3-2) enter the final week of the 2013-14 ECHL regular season looking to end things on a high note, hosting the Elmira Jackals (23-38-3-5) twice at the Arena at Gwinnett Center. The Gladiators will look to rise above .500 at home (currently 16-16-0-2) against a Jackals squad that the team thoroughly dominated back on St. Patrick's Day by a 5-1 score. The Arena will also be presenting two more fan promotions this week with the Spring Break Game on Wednesday and the annual Fan Appreciation Night on Saturday.
Looking Ahead
Monday, 4/7: Practice, Arena at Gwinnett Center, 10:30 A.M.
Tuesday, 4/8: Practice, Arena at Gwinnett Center, 10:30 A.M.
Wednesday, 4/9: Practice, Arena at Gwinnett Center, 10:00 A.M.; Game vs. Elmira, 7:05 P.M.
Thursday, 4/10: Practice, Arena at Gwinnett Center, 10:30 A.M.
Friday, 4/11: Practice, Arena at Gwinnett Center, 10:30 A.M.
Saturday, 4/12: Practice, Arena at Gwinnett Center, 10:00 A.M.; Game vs. Elmira, 7:05 P.M.
Sunday, 4/13: Off-day
Scouting the Opposition
The Jackals sit seven points behind the Gladiators in the overall Eastern Conference standings, and seven points ahead of the last place Toledo Walleye; all three teams will stay locked in their respective positions - 11, 12, and 13 - regardless of outcome this week. Elmira has skidded to the end of the season, losing 12 of their last 13 games, including a 5-1 loss to Gwinnett on March 17th in Elmira. The lone win for the team since March 8th came on April 4th, a surprising 5-1 drubbing of the playoff-bound Orlando Solar Bears. The Jackals will fit in one more game in between the two Gladiator matches; an April 11th game in North Charleston against the Stingrays, before their season finale on Saturday.
Upcoming Promotions
Wednesday, April 9th vs. Elmira: Spring Break Game
Any local-area student currently enrolled in school, from kindergarten all the way through college, can purchase lower level Student Night Discount Tickets for $10 (regularly priced $20) beginning at 5:00 P.M. on Wednesday, April 9 th at the Student Night Registration Table located in front of the Arena at Gwinnett Center's Box Office.
Saturday, April 12th vs. Elmira: Fan Appreciation Night
$5,000 Kroger Gift Card Giveaway: Adult fans (18-and-older) will receive a Kroger Gift Card valued at $5 minimum, and TWO lucky fans will score a card valued at $500 each!
Special Appearance by Team USA Bobsled Driver Elana Meyers: the Silver Medalist at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, and native of Douglasville, GA, will be participating in a special first intermission on-ice event and will be available to sign autographs.
Final Round Freebie: Any ticket stub from the Saturday, April 12th "Fan Appreciation Night" game can be exchanged at the Gwinnett Center Box Office for a One Day Pass to Easter Sunday's exciting Final Round of the annual Greater Gwinnett Championship, featuring some of the biggest names and living legends in professional golf!
Looking Back
Friday, April 4: Greenville 3 @ Gwinnett 7 - W
Two trade deadline acquisitions led the way for the Gladiators Friday night, with Mike Merrifield scoring twice and Erik Sevcenko adding four primary assists. The Gladiators were faced with another early deficit to the Road Warriors after Bretton Cameron scored nearly seven minutes into the game, but from there it was all Gwinnett as the team scored seven of the next eight goals in the high scoring affair.
In addition to Merrifield's two goals, Chris Culligan scored for the second time in his three games with Gwinnett, Maxime Legault scored for the fourth time in four games, Dirk Southern extended his four game goal streak, Marshall Everson added another tally to his team-leading 20 goals, and Josh Currie snapped a 26-game goal-less streak, dating back to January 30th.
Saturday, April 5: Gwinnett 3 @ Greenville 4 - L
The Gladiators and Road Warriors traded blow after blow Saturday night, but Greenville was the one who ended up on top Saturday night at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena. The Road Warriors scored first for the fourth straight game on Andrew Yogan's goal at 7:42 of the first, the lone tally of the opening frame. Brenden Walker evened the score nearly five minutes into the second, but Yogan would again give Greenville the lead five-and-a-half minutes later.
Dirk Southern responded with his 16th goal of the year at 14:30, his fifth straight game with a goal, but goals from Michael St. Croix and Andrew Rowe, bookending the second intermission, was enough to fend off the Gladiators. Chris Culligan's third period penalty shot strike, his third goal in four games with Gwinnett and the team's first successful penalty shot of the season, wasn't enough to overcome the deficit, as Greenville held on to win 4-3.
Glads Notes
Southern Comfort: After an early season stretch of injuries, alternate captain Dirk Southern has only missed three games in 2014 and has not slowed down a bit. Southern has a goal in five straight games (the last three being power play goals), and has registered a point in 11 of his last 14 games - five of which have been multi-point games.
Hey Culligan Man!: Signed by the Gladiators on March 26th after a brief three-game stint with the AHL's Texas Stars, Chris Culligan has been a revelation for his new team as he's scored three goals in his four games in Gwinnett. The Sydney, Nova Scotia native has also looked dynamic playing on the same forward line as his childhood friend and former teammate with Cape Breton of the QMJHL, Joey Haddad.
Georgia's On His Mind: In his 12 games played with Gwinnett, Alpharetta native Will MacDonald has three goals and six assists. He is currently in his rookie season as a professional after attending Princeton University.
The Guggenburglar Strikes Again: As the Gladiators' 12th goaltender of the season, Mark Guggenberger has provided some much needed stability in net for Gwinnett. Since joining the team, Guggenberger has played in all but two games, sporting a 9-5 record, a .909 save percentage, and a 2.94 GAA. On the season, he has a record of 14-6, and as a professional, he is 69-35-9.
Streaking Glads: Coyotes prospect Brendan Walker has at least a goal in six of his last nine games, with seven goals, three assists, and a +7 rating over that stretch ... Marshall Everson has three goals and three assists in his last five games, as he's taken over the team lead in goals with 20 ... Defenseman Daniel Spivak has finished a game with a minus in only 15 of his 65 games played this season, and hasn't gone below a minus-one. He leads Gwinnett with a +15 on the season.
Milestones: Dirk Southern played in his 245th ECHL contest on Saturday, and his 375th as a professional on Friday ... Casey Pierro-Zabotel played for the 100th time in a Gwinnett sweater on Saturday ... Maxime Legault is two points away from his 100th as a pro ... Joey Haddad is four games away from 300 as a professional, and one assist from his 100th professional assist.
Home Sweet Home: The Gladiators are closing in on a .500 record at home (16-16-0-2), helped by winning six of their last seven at the Arena at Gwinnett Center, dating back to February 25th. Gwinnett will look to setting a season-high four game home winning streak on Wednesday versus Elmira.
Snippets: With two games left in the season, the Gladiators are 14-17-3-0 in their last 34 games, compared to 14-20-0-2 in the first 36. And after going 10-18-0-2 in 2013, the Gladiators have been hovering around .500 in 2014, going 18-19-3-0 since January 2nd... The Gladiators special teams snapped an 0-for-33 power play goal drought on March 28th in Greenville, and since then the power play has figured out the kinks. They had scored in four of their last five man-up situations from March 28th through April 4th, before being held to one PPG in four chances on Saturday night.
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