ECHL Atlanta Gladiators

Gladiators Beat Lynx, 6-2

Published on November 27, 2008 under ECHL (ECHL)
Atlanta Gladiators News Release


Dirk Southern and Dan Sullivan both tallied their first goals of the season to help lift the Gwinnett Gladiators to a 6 -2 win over the Augusta Lynx on Thursday's sixth annual Thanksgiving Day game at the Arena at Gwinnett Center. The Gladiators improve their Turkey Day record to 3-2-1. Jordan Fox snapped the Gladiators' two-game scoreless streak at 3:06 in the first with helpers from Jeff Mason and Andy Brandt. Gwinnett had been shut out completely in their two previous games against the Charlotte Checkers and the Florida Everblades.

Bryan Esner upped the Gladiators' lead to two with a rocket to the upper right corner of the net. Esner's goal came at 9:50 on Gwinnett's first power play of the evening with Dirk Southern and Fox on hand to assist. Augusta's Scott Thauwald cut the Gladiators' lead in half at 15:07 with assists from Joel Hanson and Mike Mullen.

Matt Siddall tallied another power play goal for Gwinnett only a minute and a half later with assists from Brad Schell and Josh Engel. Siddall's goal rounded out the first period for the Gladiators, sending the team up 3-1 into the second.

Dirk Southern and Dan Sullivan scored within 11 seconds of each other five minutes into the second period to push the Gladiators' lead to 5-1 over Augusta. The record for fastest two goals by Gwinnett still stands at eight seconds and is held by both former Gladiator Milan Gajic and current skater, Andy Brandt. Southern and Sullivan's goals were both their first of the season.

Brian Ihnacak put another on the board for the Lynx during the second stanza. The goal was the rookie's first of the season and of his professional career. Augusta's Scott Thauwald attempted to decrease the goal differential on a penalty shot at 17:08 of the period, but was stonewalled by Gwinnett goalie Josh Johnson. Thauwald was awarded the shot after Gladiator Jeff Mason was called for tripping on Thauwald's breakaway.

Brad Schell notched yet another power play goal for the Gladiators 10 minutes into the third with a hard shot from outside the left circle. Brandt collected his second assist for the night and Siddall his first on the Schell goal.

The Gladiators next take the ice on the road Tuesday, December 2nd, at 7:05 p.m. against the South Carolina Stingrays.

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 open their sixth season as a proud member of the ECHL in October of 2008 - 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.

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ECHL Stories from November 27, 2008


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