ECHL Atlanta Gladiators

Gladiators Weekly

Published on February 28, 2011 under ECHL (ECHL)
Atlanta Gladiators News Release


How Sweep It Is: The Gwinnett Gladiators (25-25-7) came into last week on a three game losing streak, but rebounded in a big way with two wins over Trenton (3-2 Friday, 4-3 in a shootout Saturday) and a dominant 6-4 win over the top team in the East, Reading, on Sunday.

On the Road Again: Gwinnett will wrap up a six-game road trip Tuesday in South Carolina before finally returning home March 5th and 6th against Trenton. The Glads last home game was a February 17th 5-4 shootout win over South Carolina.

Forney on Fire: The Gladiators lost forward Michael Forney to an AHL call-up late last week, but got him back in time for Sunday's win where he picked up an assist. He now has at least a point in 20 of the Glads last 23 games (9 g, 21 a), is tied for 3rd in the league with 39 assists, and ranks 13th with 53 points on the season.

Net Gains: Forward Kyle Kucharski now has goals in two games in a row, his first two tallies of the 2010-11 season. Saturday he scored his first goal as a Gladiator in a 4-3 shootout win over his former team. Sunday Kucharski netted the game-winner in a 6-4 triumph over Reading. This is the first time he's found the back of the net since January 15, 2010, in a 4-3 Trenton shootout loss to Florida. Also scoring in that contest Then-Everblades defenseman and current Gladiator Matt Duffy.

Duff Domination: Speaking of Matt Duffy, the past two games were busy ones for the dman. In Saturday's win he scored the deciding tally in the eighth round of the shootout. Sunday, Reading's second goal deflected off him and in, but he got his revenge scoring his third goal of the season in the third period to push the Glads lead to 6-3.

Akim the Dream: 21-year old Nigerian native Akim Aliu (ah-lee-OO) continues to impress since being sent to Gwinnett from AHL Chicago. The Thrashers prospect had two goals and an assist last week, and now has at least a point in 10 of 13 games since coming to Gwinnett.

Pat's All That: Forward Pat Galivan has been on a tear of late. He has at least a point in 11 of his last 15 games, with five goals and 13 assists over that stretch.

Paq-Man Power: Glads Forward Danick Paquette now has five goals in his last seven games after snapping a 20-game scoreless drought on 2/13 against South Carolina. He racked up a professional career high with two goals and an assist in Sunday's win in Reading. He's also 2nd in the league with 172 penalty minutes.

My-Oh-Milo: Forward Justin Milo has had at least one assist in each of the Gladiators four games last week. His five total helpers in the span of six days tops his total from his previous 18 games with the Gladiators (three).

Carrozzi to Chicago: Goaltender Chris Carrozzi stopped 41 of 43 shots in Friday's 3-2 win at Trenton. The next day he was reassigned to AHL Chicago.

Potent Power Play: The Gladiators went 5-for-18 (27.7%) on the powerplay over the weekend, and now boast the 6th best PP in the ECHL converting on 19.1% of their opportunities.

Second, Third Time's the Charm: In three game sets this season Gwinnett has improved the more they have seen an opponent. In the first game the Gladiators are just 3-3-3, but they are 7-1-0 in the second and third games (14-2-0 combined).

A Full 60 Minutes: The score after the first two periods has been crucial for the Gladiators this season. Gwinnett is a perfect 19-0-0 this season when leading after two periods of play but the Gladiators are 2-21-6 when trailing after two periods of play this season.

Last Week:

February 27th, Reading 4, Gwinnett 6 - W Sovereign Center, Reading, PA

Danick Paquette scored twice and added an assist, as the Gladiators won their third game in as many days, 6-4 over the Reading Royals at the Sovereign Center Sunday afternoon.

The Gladiators (25-25-7) moved into a three-way tie for seventh in the Eastern Conference with the win, while Reading (35-15-5) was handed just their seventh loss of the season at home. Akim Aliu, Will Colbert, Kyle Kucharski, and Matt Duffy also scored for the Glads, who trailed 2-1 after one period but outscored the Royals 5-2 from there on out.

February 26th, Trenton 3, Gwinnett 4 - SOW Sun National Bank Center, Trenton, NJ

Despite surrendering three unanswered goals in the third, the Gladiators battled back for a 4-3 shootout win Saturday night at the Sun National Bank Center. Gwinnett (24-25-7) moves into ninth in the East with the win, while Trenton (21-30-4) falls further back in the Eastern Conference cellar. A John-Scott Dickson one-timer at 8:55 pushed the Glads lead to 3-0 in the third. It was Dickson's first goal since joining Gwinnett in a trade with Idaho. The Gladiators had a commanding lead, but it wouldn't last. Trenton scored three late unanswered goals before defenseman Matt Duffy clinched the SO win in the eighth round. Pat Galivan and Kyle Kucharski also scored for Gwinnett.

February 25th, Trenton 2, Gwinnett 3 - W Sun National Bank Center, Trenton, NJ

A second period powerplay tally by Akim Aliu proved to be the game-winner, as Chris Carrozzi stood tall late to help the Gladiators to a 3-2 win Friday night at the Sun National Bank Center. Carrozzi stopped 41 of 43 shots, including several huge stops during a late Trenton (21-30-4) flurry. The win snaps a three-game losing streak for Gwinnett (23-25-7) and keeps them in the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff race. The Glads are now 17-0-0 when leading after two periods this season. Will Colbert opened the scoring with a blast from the point passed a screened Jeff Lerg to give Gwinnett the 1-0 edge. Colbert's fifth of the season at 6:16 of the first was assisted by Pat Galivan and Justin Milo. At 8:49 Andy Brandt broke in alone shorthanded and beat Lerg high glove side for his 15th, unassisted, for a 2-0 Glads lead.

February 22nd, Greenville 7, Gwinnett 1 - L BI-LO Center, Greenville, SC

The Greenville Road Warriors scored seven unanswered goals Tuesday night to top Gwinnett 7-1 at the BI-LO Center. It's the third loss in a row for the Glads, who have been outscored 19-6 over that stretch. Forward Pat Galivan beat goaltender Cameron Talbot with a backhander from the slot to give the Gladiators a 1-0 lead at 12:54 of the first. Justin Milo and Tim Filangieri added assists as Gwinnett held the 1-0 edge after one period. Greenville completely took over however from there on out, with four goals in the second and three more in the third.

This Week's Games:

Tuesday March 1st @ South Carolina - 7:05 p.m.

Saturday March 5th vs. Trenton - 7:05 p.m.

Sunday March 6th vs. Trenton - 4:05 p.m.

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ECHL Stories from February 28, 2011


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