ECHL Atlanta Gladiators

Gladiators weekly

Published on November 5, 2007 under ECHL (ECHL)
Atlanta Gladiators News Release


Best Start Ever! The Gladiators are off to their best start in team history with a 7-1-0 record after eight games this season. Gwinnett has started 6-1-1 three times in team history with the 2004-05 season the only year the Gladiators did not start with 13 points after eight games.

Leader! Gladiators forward Jeff Campbell shares first in assists in the ECHL with 11 on the year with Victoria's Pierre-Luc O'Brien. Campbell's 11 assists along with his two goals help him share second overall in scoring in the ECHL with 13 points on the year.

On the Kill! The Gladiators penalty kill has improved over last season as Gwinnett currently ranks 2nd overall in the ECHL. The Gladiators have killed off 92.2% of opponents power play chances and rank second behind the Stockton Thunder in that category. Gwinnett's four goals given up on the penalty kill shares second overall for fewest shorthanded goals allowed this season. Gwinnett finished 14th on the penalty kill last season in the ECHL.

Passing Brownie: Gladiator assistant coach Cam Brown's record for most games played as a Gladiator is in jeopardy and will almost certainly fall within the next month. Jim Jackson stands only 4 games away from tying the record that Brown set over his three seasons with the club in Gwinnett. Brown racked up 97 points notching 43 goals and 54 assist with the Gladiators. Brown is entering his second season as an assistant coach for Gwinnett after ending his playing career following the 2005-2006 season. Brown played 211 games with the Gladiators.

Perfection on the Road: Gwinnett is the only team in the ECHL to remain unbeaten after playing on the road this season. After a pair of wins over the Mississippi Sea Wolves this past week, the Gladiators are 3-0-0 on the road. The only other team that has yet to record a loss on the road is Phoenix, but the Roadrunners have yet to play a road game this year. The longest road winning streak in ECHL history is 10 games which has occurred three times in league history.

Between the Pipes: Netminder Craig Kowalski collected his ECHL league leading 6th win of the season for the Gladiators in yesterday's 3-1 win over the Charlotte Checkers. Kowalski ranks fourth in goals against average with a 1.72 GAA in seven games this season for Gwinnett.

Streaking Along! Dirk Southern notched a goal and an assist for the Gladiators in Sunday's 3-1 win over the Charlotte Checkers. With the two points yesterday, Southern extended his point scoring streak to seven games tying the Gladiators season high for most consecutive games with at least one point. Southern's seven game point scoring streak is just one game shy of the league high for most consecutive games with a point.

Hat Trick for Reading! The Gladiators Elementary Hat Trick for Reading Program presented by Suwanee Dental returns for the 2007-08 season. The Gladiators will be awarding elementary school children from Surrounding Metro Elementary Schools who complete the program with a ticket to the Gladiators game on November 10th.

Last Week's Games:

October 30th, Reading 2, Gwinnett 1 - L

Derek Nesbitt notched the Gladiators lone goal to push his point-scoring streak to five games. Gwinnett trailed for the first time this season as Reading jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first period. The Royals pushed their lead to 2-0 in the second period with a goal on a 5-on-3 power play. Nesbitt scored before the end of the second period to get the Gladiators within a goal but Gwinnett could get no closer. Dirk Southern and Lou Dickenson had the assists on the goal for Gwinnett. Craig Kowalski finished with a season high 33 saves in the loss.

November 1st, Gwinnett 6, Mississippi 2 - W

Derek Nesbitt notched a pair of goals including the game winning goal 6:56 into the third period to help the Gladiators past the Sea Wolves. Nesbitt's two tallies extended his point scoring streak to six games, a current team high. Stuart MacRae notched his first goal of the season to give Gwinnett a 1-0 lead before Mississippi collected the next two markers to take a 2-1 lead on the Gladiators. Andy Brandt's first goal of the season tied the game up at two setting the stage for Nesbitt's first goal of the game. His second gave Gwinnett a 4-2 lead. Lou Dickenson notched his 2nd goal of the season to give Gwinnett a 5-2 lead while Mike Hamilton's third of the year gave Gwinnett a 6-2 lead. The Gladiators finished with three power play goals in the win. Craig Kowalski notched 21 saves for his fifth win of the year.

November 2nd, Gwinnett 3, Mississippi 2 - W

Derek Nesbitt posted his sixth goal of the season and had an assist to extend his point scoring streak to seven games helping Gwinnett to the 3-2 win. Nesbitt's tally also proved to be the game winner for Gwinnett. Jeff Campbell notched the first goal of the game just 3:16 into the first period. Lou Dickenson pushed Gwinnett to a 2-0 lead early in the second period. Mississippi got on the board a minute after Dickenson's goal. Nesbitt then posted the game winner just 1:35 into the third period. Mississippi got within a goal with 24 seconds left in the game but could get no closer. Dan Turple posted 29 saves for his first win of the season.

November 4th, Gwinnett 3, Charlotte 1 - W

Andy Brandt scored what proved to be the game winner for the Gladiators with five minutes left in the first period just seconds after a Gladiators power play expired. Gwinnett took the lead on Lou Dickenson's fourth goal of the season and never trailed in the contest. Charlotte cut the Gladiators lead to one goal in the third period but Dirk Southern collected his 3rd goal of the season with 50 seconds left in the contest with an empty net marker to put the game away. Craig Kowalski notched his 6th win of the season for the Gladiators tying a season high with 33 saves in the win. The Gladiators were kept off the board on the power play for the first time this season in the win.

This Week's Games:

Friday, November 9th, vs. Mississippi, 7:35 p.m. - AccessNorthga.com Audio streaming

Gwinnett won the first two meetings of the season against the Sea Wolves and lead the season series with a 2-0-0 record. With the wins, Gwinnett is now 5-4-2 all time against the Sea Wolves. Derek Nesbitt and Jeff Campbell each share first in scoring against the Sea Wolves this season with 4 points each in two games.

Saturday, November 10th, vs. Texas, 7:35 p.m. - AccessNorthga.com Audio streaming

The Gladiators face the Wildcatters for the first time this season since being knocked out of the 2007 Kelly Cup Playoffs by the Wildcatters in four games. Gwinnett leads the all time series against the Wildcatters with a 8-4-1 record all time.

The Gladiators continue their fifth anniversary season on Friday, November 9th as they host the Mississippi Sea Wolves at the Arena at Gwinnett Center at 7:35 p.m. Catch all the play-by-play action in Saturday's game online at Access Radio via www.accessnorthga.com.

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 in - 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.

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ECHL Stories from November 5, 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.

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