ECHL Atlanta Gladiators

Gladiators Foiled by Fruitless Power Play, 4-1

January 30, 2015 - ECHL (ECHL)
Atlanta Gladiators News Release


EVANSVILLE, Ind. - The Gladiators (14-23-2-1) had a season-high ten extra man opportunities on Friday night at the Ford Center, yet they were unable to cash in on any of them. On the other end, the Evansville IceMen (14-25-4-2) took the 4-1 decision thanks to the stellar play of Chris Driedger, who made 39 saves on 40 shots against.

The ice was well tilted towards the Gladiators' offensive zone in the first period - the Gladiators outshot the IceMen 11-to-6, and out-chanced them even more - but it wasn't Gwinnett that opened the scoring. On Evansville's lone power play of the period, Robin Soudek held down the left circle, and kept shooting in on Adam Brown. Eventually, Soudek was able to get a lane from a couple feet away, and he roofed a shot over Brown's glove hand at 15:30 of the first.

The second period began with a rejuvenated Evansville offense. Just 23 seconds into the period, Brandon Wong shot a puck through Brown to double up the lead. Then at 5:10, Jarret Lukin broke into the zone on a 2-on-1. His initial shot was saved by Brown, but the rebound caromed back out to Lukin at the right circle. He stretched backwards to scoop the puck and he slapped it into the vacated net as Brown was on top of the crease.

Gwinnett got their only tally of the evening on Zach Yuen's backhanded shot at 15:42. Yuen missed over the puck on his initial shot, but on the follow-through Yuen took a backhand shot that banked off the left post and behind Chris Driedger.

Referee Peter MacDougall's arm was very busy in the third period as 17 penalties were called against both squads in that period alone. On just their second power play of the evening - an abbreviated 26-second power play - Troy Rutkowski made it 4-1 for Evansville, the eventual final.

The third period also featured back-to-back fights - first with Dyson Stevenson and Jim McKenzie, and then Sean Berkstresser and Daniel Johnston. In all, Gwinnett was 0-for-10 on the power play and Evansville was 2-for-3. Chris Driedger made 39 saves on 40 shots, while Adam Brown was 22-for-26.

The Gladiators will look to avenge tonight's outcome tomorrow as they take on the IceMen once again at 8:15 p.m. EST. Gwinnett's next home game will be on Tuesday, February 3rd at 7:05 p.m. for Student Night against the Orlando Solar Bears.

For tickets and schedule information, visit the official team website at 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 Arizona 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 - where parking is always free.

As Atlanta's "One and Only" professional hockey team, the Gladiators have established an extraordinary winning tradition and unrivaled commitment to excellence, maintaining a distinctive reputation for affordable and family-friendly sports entertainment. The Gladiators are consistently ranked as one of the top "Things To Do" in the Atlanta area and across the North Georgia region.

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ECHL Stories from January 30, 2015


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