ECHL Atlanta Gladiators

Gladiators Fall to Pensacola, 5-4

April 7, 2007 - ECHL (ECHL)
Atlanta Gladiators News Release


Joel Stepp and Jim Jackson each had a pair of goals for the Gladiators but it wasn't enough as Gwinnett dropped a 5-4 decision to the Pensacola Ice Pilots on Saturday night at the Pensacola Civic Center. Gwinnett finishes the season with 89 points and a 41-24-7 record.

Gwinnett finishes ranked third in the ECHL's South Division as the Charlotte Checkers lost the Columbia Inferno in regulation by a 3-2 score. With the loss and the loss by the Checkers, the Gladiators will open the 2007 Kelly Cup Playoffs on Saturday, April 14 against the Texas Wildcatters on the Your Best Rate Financial Home Ice at the Arena at Gwinnett Center at 7:35 p.m. The complete series schedule follows this release.

Pensacola jumped out to a 3-0 lead on the Gladiators before the end of the first period. Dwayne Hay finished a 2-on-1 break flipping the puck past Gladiators netminder Dave Caruso to give the Ice Pilots a 1-0 lead at the 12:27 mark of the first period. Jesse Baraniuk and Dan Sullivan had the assists on the shorthanded goal for Pensacola.

Rob Rankin corralled a rebound in the slot and pumped the puck past Caruso at the 14:28 mark of the first period for the goal giving Pensacola 2-0 lead. Sullivan and Baraniuk posted the assists cycling the puck deep in the Gwinnett zone on the power play to set up the marker.

Derrick Byfuglien pushed the Ice Pilots lead to 3-0 with just 4 seconds left in the first period as he slipped past the Gladiators defense and ripped a shot over the shoulder of Caruso for the marker. Dwayne Hay and David Wrigley netted the assists on the power play goal for the Ice Pilots.

David Wrigley pushed the Ice Pilots lead to 4-0 just 3:35 into the second period. Wrigley was parked on the far post and beat Caruso off rink wide pass from Nikita Krovokin. The goal came shorthanded for the Ice Pilots.

Gwinnett battled back in the second period to cut the Ice Pilots lead to just one after two period after falling behind 4-0 in the perio. Joel Stepp posted a pair of goals for the Gladiators just two minutes apart to get Gwinnett back in the contest. Stepp worked into the Pensacola zone and ripped a slap shot past Pensacola netminder Adam Geragosian for the goal. Chad Panchaud and Caruso collected the assists on the power play goal for Gwinnett at the 6:49 mark of the second period.

Stepp netted his second goal of the game at the 9:28 mark of the second period collecting a drop pass from Colton Fretter in the slot and beating Geragosian to the short side. Painchaud posted his second assist of the night moving the puck along to Fretter to help set the goal up.

Fretter set up the Gladiators third goal of the period to get Gwinnett back within a goal at 4-3 as he set up Jim Jackson's 17th marker of the season. Jackson slid into the left wing circle and ripped a slap shot over the shoulder Geragosian for the goal at the 18:40 mark of the second period. Scott Mifsud also had a helper on the goal for Gwinnett.

Jackson's second goal of the game at the 8:35 mark of the second period tied the game at 4-4. Jackson deflected Jamie Milam's slap shot from the left wing point past Geragosian for the marker. Painchaud added his third assist of the game for the Gladiators on the power play goal.

Dan Sullivan pushed the Ice Pilots back into the lead at the 11:10 mark of the third and he ripped a snap shot past Caruso to give Pensacola a 5-4 lead. Hay and Nate Metcalf had the assists on the goal for the Ice Pilots.

Caruso finished with 36 saves in the loss for Gwinnett. The Gladiators finished with a pair of power play goals in the loss while giving up two shorthanded goals to the Ice Pilots in the loss.

The Gwinnett Gladiators continue their fourth season as a proud member of the ECHL as they open the 2007 Kelly Cup Playoffs on Saturday, April 14 against the Texas Wildcatters on the Your Best Rate Financial Home Ice at the Arena at Gwinnett Center at 7:35 p.m. Season tickets 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 on the Your Best Rate Financial Home Ice 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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