Sports stats



ECHL Atlanta Gladiators

Gladiators Outduel Road Warriors, 3-2

December 27, 2014 - ECHL (ECHL)
Atlanta Gladiators News Release


GREENVILLE, SC - The Gladiators (9-16-1-0) picked up their second win in their last three games played with the 3-2 win against the Greenville Road Warriors (19-10-0-1) Saturday night at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena. Will MacDonald, James Melindy, and Travis Ouellette all scored goals for the Gladiators, while Adam Brown stopped 41 of the 43 shots against him.

After a scoreless first period, the Gladiators broke through first at 2:11 of the second on a redirect goal by Will MacDonald off of Marshall Everson's original shot from the top of the slot. Gwinnett maintained the pressure throughout the period, challenging Jeff Malcolm all throughout the crease, but they were not able to add a second in the period.

Instead, Greenville was given a fifth power play of the night at 16:42 of the second. The Gladiators had killed the previous four efficiently, but on the fifth, Tyler Brown got one by Brown on the one-timer from the right circle.

Entering the third with the score tied at one, Gwinnett picked up an early power play, just their second of the night. With about 30 seconds left in the man advantage, Joe Stejskal and J.P. Labardo crashed in on the net, pressuring Malcolm. The puck caromed off of Malcolm and onto James Melindy's stick in the low left faceoff circle, who then slammed it through Malcolm to give the Glads the 2-1 lead.

Three minutes later, Chris McCarthy tied the score up once again. Brown was held up in traffic to his right, and McCarthy received the pass from Andrew Himelson in the right circle with nothing but an empty net in front of him.

End-to-end action ensued for the next 10 minutes, until the Gladiators went ahead one last time. At 15:51, J.P. Labardo drew Malcolm and the Greenville defense to the right as he fed Travis Ouellette to his left. Ouellette had the open net, and Gwinnett had the 3-2 lead with four minutes left in the game.

Gwinnett held on in the closing minutes to win their first game in Greenville since November 11, 2013, a span of eight games. It was also the Gladiators' third road win of the year, and the Road Warriors' second loss at home in 2014-15.

The Glads will return home to The Arena at Gwinnett Center this Monday, for Festivus and the annual Ugly Sweater Contest against the Wheeling Nailers at 7:05 p.m. It will be the beginning of a seven game home stand for Gwinnett.

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.

Check out the Atlanta Gladiators Statistics

• Discuss this story on the ECHL message board...

ECHL Stories from December 27, 2014


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.

OurSports Central