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ECHL Atlanta Gladiators

Gladiators Fifth is Second Best

May 2, 2008 - ECHL (ECHL)
Atlanta Gladiators News Release


The Gwinnett Gladiators fifth anniversary season was another successful campaign as the Thrashers affiliate posted its second highest point total during the regular season while advancing to the Kelly Cup Playoffs for the fifth consecutive time - a feat accomplished every season in team history.

Off the ice, the Gladiators continued to make an extraordinary impact in the local community. As an integral part of the Gladiators community outreach, the Gladiators Foundation for Kids remained a focus of the Gladiators fundraising efforts. In addition, the team made numerous player/mascot appearances at local community events throughout the suburban Atlanta area, while the Gladiators "Hat Trick for Reading" program remained a key part of the Gladiators involvement with area schools.

Gwinnett opened the season with the best start in team history going 9-1-1 through the first 11 games of the season while sharing the top spot in the ECHL's South Division through the middle of November. With just a pair of road losses through December, Gwinnett finished the season with 22 road wins setting a new all-time team record for most road wins in a season.

The Gladiators annual "Hat Trick for Reading" Nights were a success for the fifth consecutive season. With participation more than quadrupling since the Gladiators inaugural season, over 190 local middle and elementary schools participated this year and the team distributed over 90,000 bookmarks to students. The Gladiators elementary school "Hat Trick for Reading" Night in October saw one of the Gladiators top 4 crowds of the season.

For the fifth consecutive season, the Gladiators had multiple players selected to represent the team at the ECHL All Star Game. Defenseman Jamie Milam and goaltender Craig Kowalski were selected as starters to represent the Gladiators at the 2008 ECHL All Star Game in Stockton, California. It was the first time in team history that two players were selected as starters on the American Conference squad.

Over the course of three days from February 8th through 10th, the Gladiators dedicated their first ever three-game weekend home stand to generate funding and awareness for women's breast cancer research, dubbing the charity event "Pink in the Rink". As a result of overwhelming community and corporate support, a single-event record $89,499.35 was raised through a variety of team-sponsored fundraising efforts and activities that also saw a 3-game attendance total of 20,508 fans while the team skated on pink ice and donned special pink accented jerseys for the cause.

Gwinnett finished the 2007-08 season with 19 different players fielding 23 call ups to the American Hockey League. The Gladiators saw 10 different AHL teams call players up during the season, with 7 players assigned to the Chicago Wolves and 3 different players suiting up for the Manitoba Moose during the year.

The Gladiators Foundation for Kids continues to reap the benefits of the generosity of the Gladiators and their fans in the North Metro Atlanta Area. The Gladiators Foundation for Kids is managed by the Community Foundation For Northeast Georgia, a preeminent 501-C-3 charitable trust management group based in Duluth, GA. In addition to the organizations benefiting from "Pink in the Rink" fundraising efforts, the Gladiators and the Foundation for Kids presented grants totaling over a combined $57,000 to over 20 different organizations throughout the year including the Gladiators season finale on April 5th.

On the ice, the Gladiators continued to keep pace in the ECHL's South Division finishing in third place in the Division with 93 points, the second best standings point total all time in team history. With the third place finish, Gwinnett secured home ice for the first round of the 2008 Kelly Cup Playoffs and a Division Quarterfinal matchup with the Charlotte Checkers. After sweeping Charlotte 3-games-to-0, the Gladiators fell in five games to the South Carolina Stingrays in the Division Semifinals. Gwinnett overcame a 2-games-to-0 deficit to send the series to a deciding Game 5 where the Stingrays posted a 2-0 win to clinch the series.

For the fifth consecutive season, Gwinnett finished with ECHL award winners. Jeff Campbell finished the season ranked second in scoring in the league and was named the ECHL Sportsman of the Year. In addition, he was also named to the All-ECHL First Team. In addition, defenseman Jamie Milam and goaltender Craig Kowalski were both selected to the All-ECHL Second team.

For the third time in five seasons, the Gladiators ranked in the top five in average attendance in the ECHL. It was also the third consecutive season that Gwinnett raised its average attendance as the Gladiators finished ranked 4th overall in the 25 team ECHL with an average attendance of 5,656 during the regular season.

The Gladiators also saw a few milestones and records set during the campaign as Myles Stoesz set a new Gladiators team record for most penalty minutes by one player in one season notching 291 minutes in 64 games. Jeff Campbell figured in all six goals (3g, 3a) for Gwinnett in a 6-2 win over Mississippi on February 23rd setting a new team record for most points by one player in one game for Gwinnett. The Gladiators set a new team record for fewest shots allowed giving up just 12 against Pensacola on January 27th. In addition, a new team record for most penalty minutes posted in one game was set on March 28th in Florida as the Gladiators racked up 151 penalty minutes against the Everblades.

The Gladiators concluded their fifth anniversary season with a 2-0 loss to the South Carolina Stingrays in Game 5 of the Division Semifinals. Season tickets for the 2008-09 season are on sale now. Log on to gwinnettgladiators.com or call the Gladiators office at 770-497-5100 for more information.

Celebrating its 20th Anniversary as the Premier 'AA' Hockey League in 2007-08, the ECHL began in 1988-89 with five teams in three states and has grown to be a coast-to-coast league that has 25 teams in 17 states and British Columbia in 2007-08. The 25 teams includes the Mississippi (Biloxi) Sea Wolves, who return after missing two seasons in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and the expansion Elmira (N.Y.) Jackals. The ECHL will play 900 games beginning Oct. 18 and concluding Apr. 5.

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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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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