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ECHL Atlanta Gladiators

Gladiators Rolled by Road Warriors, 5-2

February 15, 2015 - ECHL (ECHL)
Atlanta Gladiators News Release


DULUTH, Ga. - In their sendoff match before leaving for a two week road trip, the Gladiators (16-29-2-1) bid farewell to the pink ice, but struggled to match the Greenville Road Warriors' (28-19-1-2) momentum, falling 5-2 on Sunday afternoon. Casey Pierro-Zabotel scored two goals, while Ryan Hegarty had a four-point night for the opposition with two goals and two assists.

The Gladiators started the first period strong, decked out in their black and pink specialty sweaters for the final time. Even after posting 15 shots on Greenville's Jason Missiaen, the Road Warriors were able cash in one of their 6 shots first. On their second power play of the game, Josh Nicholls found a wide-open net backdoor, upon receiving a pass from Ryan Hegarty sent just out of the reach of Mark Guggenberger at 8:03.

The second period began with the Gladiators' response to Greenville's first goal. Garry Nunn sent the puck in on net, as Casey Pierro-Zabotel waited just outside the crease for his chance to strike, knocking the puck in past Missiaen at 5:08, for the Alternate Captain's 20th of the season. The Road Warriors answered almost immediately, at 5:31. After winning the faceoff, Vinny Saponari dished it to Hegarty, who wristed it in to regain the lead over the home team.

Line-mates Hegarty and Saponari were at it once again for the Stingrays, with Hegerty's second of the match two minutes later at 7:33. Two minutes after that, Sean Escobedo set up Kyle Jean directly in front of Guggenberger, who then slipped the puck right in-between the goaltender's legs at 9:48 for the Warriors' third goal of the period.

No stranger to scoring, Pierro-Zabotel cut the score in half on a power play goal at 13:20. The puck popped out off the stick of Sean Berkstresser right outside the crease, as Pierro-Zabotel came flying in from the left post-side and pounded a one-timer in the net.

Greenville tallied their fifth and final goal at 12:29 to solidify their victory over the home team. Hegarty led Chris McCarthy on a quick transition two-on-one, and as the two reached the faceoff dots, Hegarty slid the puck across to McCarthy. McCarthy's one-timer was his 11th goal of the season, and stunted Gwinnett's comeback bid.

The Gladiators leave for a season-high eight game road trip throughout the next two-and-a-half weeks, starting with a game against the Kalamazoo Wings Wednesday, February 18th at 7:00 p.m. The Gladiators return home Saturday, March 7th to face the South Carolina Stingrays at 7:05 p.m. The next home game will also mark the second $5 Frenzy of the season, featuring Team Mesh Replica Jerseys for ONLY $5!

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.

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