Sports stats



ECHL Atlanta Gladiators

Gladiators Plaster Pilots, 6-3

January 11, 2007 - ECHL (ECHL)
Atlanta Gladiators News Release


The Gwinnett Gladiators defeated the Pensacola Ice Pilots 6-3 on Thursday night on the Your Best Rate Financial Home Ice at the Arena at Gwinnett Center. Jim Jackson and Colton Fretter each collected two goals in the win for the Gladiators helping Gwinnett improve to 20-11-4 on the season.

Mike Vigilante collected his 15th goal of the season on the power play just 4:32 into the first period to give the Gladiators a 1-0 lead. Parked in the slot on the power play, Vigilante took a centering pass out of the corner from Scott Mifsud and beat Ice Pilots netminder Michael Mole from point blank range. Brad Schell also had a helper on the tally. The goal was Vigilante's 49th in the Gladiators career.

Pensacola equalized the contest on a 5-on-3 power play just 41 seconds into the second period, as Mike Wirll beat Gladiators netminder Dan Turple to the far post and plunked the puck off the iron for the marker. Sergei Ogorodnikov and Rob Rankin collected the assists on the goal for the Ice Pilots.

Gwinnett answered with three straight goals before the end of the middle stanza to take a 4-1 lead on Pensacola. Colton Fretter finished a 2-on-1 break with Vigilante to give Gwinnett a 2-1 lead. Fretter ripped a snap shot from the left wing that beat Mole for the marker.

Jim Jackson pushed the Gladiators lead to 3-1 as he beat Mole to the short side. Jackson took a rink wide pass from Joel Stepp on the power play and punched the puck home for the tally. Blue Bennefield also had an assist on the power play goal for the Gladiators at the 11:51 mark of the second period.

Gwinnett took a 4-1 lead on Schell's 16th marker of the season, as he walked in from the right wing circle and ripped a slapshot past Mole from the top of the right wing face off circle for the power play marker. After winning the face off to Jon Awe, the defenseman rolled the puck back to Schell to add an assist on the marker.

Jim Jackson extended the Gladiators lead to 5-1 with his second power play goal of the game. Set up in the slot, Mifsud threaded the puck through a gaggle of Ice Pilots sticks in the slot right to Jackson to set up the marker. Schell also had an assist on the goal for the Gladiators 6:26 into the third period.

Fretter then added his second goal of the night for the Gladiators to push the Gwinnett lead to 6-1 as he capitalized on a weird bound off the dasher board. Picking up a loose puck in the left wing circle, Fretter walked in on Mole and beat the netminder over the shoulder for the goal at 13:22 of the third period.

Pensacola added two goals late in the third period but it was too little too late for the Ice Pilots. John Hecimovic jammed the puck past Turple with 9:49 left in the third period cut the Gladiators lead to 6-2. David Wrigley and Dallas Steward posted the assist on the goal for Pensacola.

Sergei Ogorodnikov pulled the Ice Pilots within three goals with the final tally of the game with 1:44 left in the contest as he whipped a snapshot past Turple for the marker. Greg Watson and David Wrigley collected the assists on the goal for the Gladiators.

Turple finished with 16 saves in his third consecutive win for the Gladiators. Gwinnett went 4-7 on the power play in the victory.

The Gwinnett Gladiators continue their fourth season as a proud member of the ECHL on January 12th as they travel to Columbia to take on the Inferno at 7:05 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.

Check out the Atlanta Gladiators Statistics



ECHL Stories from January 11, 2007


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