Sports stats



ECHL Atlanta Gladiators

Gladiators Weekly Update

January 14, 2008 - ECHL (ECHL)
Atlanta Gladiators News Release


On Record Pace: Forward Jeff Campbell notched his 35th assist of the season for the Gladiators in Saturday's 3-2 loss to Pensacola. It is the fastest that the Hensall, Ontario native has reached 35 assists in his career. Despite missing six games this season due to call up to AHL Grand Rapids, Campbell is currently on pace to post 85 assists this season which would tie Brad Schell's team record of 85 assists set last season with Gwinnett.

Looking for 50! Defenseman Jim Jackson is looking for his 50th goal as a Gwinnett Gladiator. Jackson is currently just 2 goals shy of 50 in his Gladiators career. The defenseman entered the 2007-08 season with 42 goals as a Gladiator and has notched 6 goals this season for 48 in his Gwinnett Career. Jackson would become just the 5th player to notch 50 or more goals with Gwinnett joining Jeff Campbell (71), Brad Schell (62), Mike Vigilante (62) and Chris Durno (52).

Back from "The A": Goaltender Craig Kowalski was reassigned to the Gladiators from the Syracuse Crunch of the American Hockey League on Saturday night. The netminder appeared in four games while on recall to Syracuse posting a 2-1-0 record while recording a 2.36 goals against average and a .906 save percentage. With the Gladiators this season, Kowalski has appeared in 16 games posting a team best 2.29 goals against average and a .926 save percentage.

Top 5: Jamie Milam notched an assist for Gwinnett in a 3-2 loss against Pensacola on Saturday night and currently ranks fourth in scoring among ECHL defensemen. Milam has posted 25 points this season off of 8 goals and 17 assists for Gwinnett in 33 games this season and sits four points behind Alaska's Peter Metcalfe for the top spot in scoring among defensemen in the league. Milam's 8 goals currently shares second overall among league defensemen in that category.

Not a Lot! The Gladiators currently rank first in the ECHL on the Penalty Kill successfully killing off 87.5% of opponents' power play chances. Gwinnett also ranks first for fewest goals allowed on the penalty kill giving up a league low 22 goals while shorthanded. Gwinnett holds the ECHL record for fewest power play goals allowed giving up a measly 34 goal while shorthanded during the 2004-05 season.

Looking good at 50: Forward Lou Dickenson notched his 14th goal of the season for the Gladiators in Saturday's 3-2 loss against Pensacola. For the Orleans, Ontario native, it was his 50th ECHL point of his career. Dickenson entered the season with 16 points in 26 ECHL games and he has posted 14 goals and 20 assists for 34 points in 34 games this season with the Gladiators.

Upcoming Milestones: Defenseman Jamie Milam needs 8 assists for 50 in his ECHL career... forward Bryson Busniuk is 5 goals shy of 50 in his ECHL career... defenseman Jeff Mason needs just 9 assists for 50 in his ECHL career... goaltender Craig Kowalski is 784 minutes shy of 7,000 minutes in his ECHL career (about 14 games)...

Kroger Swipe-stakes: Don't forget to bring your Kroger Plus Card with you when you attend any Gladiators game now through February 10th. Just swipe your Kroger Plus Card at the Georgia Lottery Fan Information Booth and you'll be automatically registered to win a $25, $50, or $100 dollar Kroger Shopping Spree! It's the Kroger Plus Card "Swipe"stakes! For more information, visit the official team website at gwinnettgladiators.com. Kroger and the Gladiators - right store, right team.

1 Million Fans: Next Saturday night when the Gladiators host the Mississippi Sea Wolves will be a special night in Gladiators history as the team welcomes our 1,000,000th fan to the Arena at Gwinnett Center. To celebrate, fans can register to win one of many grand prizes, including a trip to Las Vegas w/airfare courtesy of Harrah's or a 2 night stay at Chateau Elan, Reynolds Plantation, and Emerald Pointe Hotel at Lake Lanier Islands. There will also be great prizes from Kroger, Racetrac, and much more. For ticket information, log on to gwinnettgladiators.com.

Backpack Night: Next Saturday, January 19th is the Gladiators annual Kids back pack night presented by Peggy Slappey Properties. The first 2,000 kids ages 10 and under will receive a Gladiators team logo backpack at the game. Backpack night is also presented by the Gwinnett Daily Post, Charter Communications and Star 94.

Last Week's Games:

January 11th, Gwinnett 3, Pensacola 1 - W

The Gladiators won their first game in regulation since December 27th. Tomas Pospisil's first non game winning goal gave Gwinnett an early 1-0 lead. Pensacola tied the game at 1-1 just two minutes after Pospisil's marker. The game sat tied at 1-1 through the second period before Lou Dickenson regained the lead for Gwinnett just 1:36 into the third period. Matt Anderson added an insurance goal for Gwinnett midway through the final period to round out the scoring for the Gladiators. Jeff Campbell finished with a pair of helpers while Chad Denny and Mike Hamilton each finished with an assist in the contest. Pospisil and Dickenson each finished with a goal and an assist in the contest. Turple made 17 saves for the win as the Gladiators went 1-for-6 on the power play in the contest.

January 12th, Pensacola 3, Gwinnett 2 - L

Lou Dickenson notched his 50th ECHL point and Jeff Campbell had has 35th goal of the season but it wasn't enough to help the Gladiators past the Pensacola Ice Pilots for the second night in a row. Gwinnett gave up the game's first goal and never led in the contest. After trailing 1-0 after the first period, Dickenson notched his 14 goal of the season to tie the game at 1-1 just 4:58 into the second period. Pensacola regained the lead at 12:03 of the second but Chad Denny's second goal of the season knotted the game at two with 5:28 left in the second period. Pensacola scored the game winner at the 5 minute mark of the third period. Campbell, Jamie Milam, Matt Anderson and Dinos Stamoulis all had assist in the loss for Gwinnett. Craig Kowalski, making his first start since being assigned to Gwinnett from AHL Syracuse, posted 35 saves in the loss for Gwinnett.

This Week's Games:

Thursday, January 17th, @ Charlotte Checkers, 7:05 p.m. - AccessNorthGa.com

Gwinnett leads the season series against the Checkers with a 3-1-0 record in four games this season. The Gladiators are 1-1-0 at Charlotte this season with the Checkers winning the last meeting between the two teams, 5-3, at the Charlotte Bobcats Arena on December 20th. The Gladiators' Andy Brandt leads all players in the season series in goals scored with 3 on the year.

Friday, January 18th, @ South Carolina Stingrays, 7:05 p.m. - AccessNorthGa.com

The Gladiators are 2-0-1 this season against South Carolina with a 1-0-1 record against the Stingrays at the North Charleston Coliseum. It is a different South Carolina team since the Gladiators last win against the Stingrays on November 23rd. Since the Gladiators 5-3 win on November 23rd, South Carolina is 15-5-1 since that time including a team record 12 game winning streak.

Saturday, January 19th, vs. Mississippi Sea Wolves, 7:35 p.m. - AccessNorthGa.com

Mississippi won the last meeting between the two teams, a 1-0 win on January 5th at the Arena at Gwinnett Center. This game is the Sea Wolves last trip of the regular season to the Arena at Gwinnett Center and the second to last (2/23 @ MIS) meeting of the season against Mississippi this year. Gwinnett is 3-1-0 this season against Mississippi.

The Gladiators continue their fifth anniversary season on Thursday, January 17th as they travel to Charlotte to take on the Checkers at 7:05 p.m. at the Charlotte Bobcats Arena. Catch all the play-by-play action in Thursday's game online via AccessNorthGa.com on Access radio streaming channel 3.

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 continue their fifth season as a proud member of the ECHL - 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.

Check out the Atlanta Gladiators Statistics

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

ECHL Stories from January 14, 2008


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