ECHL Atlanta Gladiators

Gladiators Edge Blades in Slugfest, 5-4

March 1, 2014 - ECHL (ECHL)
Atlanta Gladiators News Release


DULUTH, Ga. - The Gwinnett Gladiators defeated the Florida Everblades for the second straight night with a 5-4 result at the Arena at Gwinnett Center on Saturday night. Three Gladiators had multiple points, with Bobby Hughes leading the way with two goals.

The first twenty minutes looked eerily similar to Friday night's matchup with Florida controlling puck possession and taking a 2-0 lead on a wide shot differential. The previous night's initial goal scorer, A.J. Jenks, also opened Saturday night's scoring with a rebound goal a foot outside the crease at 2:59. At 6:34, Michael Cornell made it 2-0 by slamming in the large rebound out from the right faceoff circle.

Unlike Friday night's game, the Gladiators got one tally on the board before the first twenty minutes ran out. Maxime Legault received a gift when an Everblade attempted to clear the puck through the mid-slot. Legault absorbed the pass, and wristed in the shot at 14:23. The Gladiators only registered four shots in the first 20 minutes.

In the first five minutes of the second period, the Gladiators trumped that total with five shots, culminating in a Bobby Hughes game-tying goal from out front on a gorgeous blind, backhand pass from Legault at 7:40.

Back on their heels, Florida killed off a Stefan Della Rovere high-sticking penalty and immediately turned around to find themselves with a 3-on-1 odd man rush. Fittingly, it was Della Rovere, fresh out of the box, that scored through defenseman Art Bidlevskii and goaltender Mark Guggenberger at 10:06.

Late in the period, Gwinnett had over a minute of 5-on-3 power play time, and they cashed in on their chances. Joey Haddad sat in the low slot, where a juicy rebound bounced out to him, and with Connor Knapp looking right for the anticipated rebound, Haddad buried it at 19:08. For Haddad, it's his fourth straight game with a goal, setting a season high for the team.

Less than 30 seconds later, with Knapp stretched out towards center, Brendan Walker received another rebound in the far circle, and scored his 11th of the season to give the Gladiators a lead they wouldn't relinquish. Immediately afterwards, while the Gladiators were celebrating their goal, several Everblades intruded and multiple brawls ensued. After a fight from Aaron Bogosian and Josh Currie, Tyson Gimblett and Joey Haddad had a brief scrap. A total of 10 penalties were called and Bogosian, Currie, Gimblett, Haddad, and Walker were given ten-minute misconducts for the fracas.

Despite Florida's efforts to fight their way back into the game, the Gladiators tacked on another goal in the third. Eric Springer took an initial shot from the left point that was tipped twice on new netminder, Trevor Cann. Bidlevskii had the first tip, while Hughes got credit for the goal on the second redirect at 7:25.

Mathieu Roy made it interesting late with his 17th goal of the year at 12:28, but it wasn't enough as the Gladiators held on to their one-goal advantage. Mark Guggenberger stopped 44 of the 48 shots he faced, while Connor Knapp allowed four on 29 shots before giving way to Cann, who made 6-of-7 saves.

Gwinnett will look for their first weekend sweep of the season, and their fourth win in a row as they take on Florida once again for the conclusion of Pink in the Rink Weekend Sunday afternoon at the Arena at Gwinnett Center. To purchase tickets, please visit www.gwinnettgladiators.com, or call the main office line at 770-497-5100.

The Gladiators are members of the ECHL, the nation's premier "AA" hockey league and are affiliated with the Phoenix Coyotes of the NHL. All home games are played at the 11,355-seat Arena at Gwinnett Center, located just off I-85 on Sugarloaf Parkway in Duluth.

For all the latest team news, contests, and more visit GwinnettGladiators.com, or "like" the Gladiators on Facebook (www.facebook.com/GwinnettGladiators), and follow the team on Twitter (www.twitter.com/GWTGladiators).

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