ECHL Atlanta Gladiators

Glads Chasing Record 10th Straight Win

Published on March 11, 2022 under ECHL (ECHL)
Atlanta Gladiators News Release


DULUTH, Ga. - The Atlanta Gladiators (34-17-3-1) can break a franchise record tonight as they look for their 10th straight win with the Norfolk Admirals (18-30-2-3) in town. The previous win streak record was set at nine games by the 2005-2006 team that reached the Kelly Cup Finals. Atlanta's recent run of success has catapulted them into first place in the South Division. The Gladiators have won the last five games against the Admirals and hold a 8-3-0-0 edge in the series. Tonight is the 12th and final meeting of the season between Atlanta and Norfolk.

Scouting the Admirals

The Admirals have dropped to last place in the South Division and have only won once in the past eight games. Norfolk recently traded former Gladiator Anthony Collins to Kalamazoo for Greg Betzold. Betzold has 17 points (7G-10A) in 40 total games this season. The Admirals are second from the bottom in the league in both scoring and goals allowed.

Last Time Out

The Gladiators mounted a frenzied third-period comeback against the South Carolina Stingrays last Sunday to grab a 4-3 victory. Atlanta scored three goals in a span of 2:26 during the third frame after trailing 3-1 through two periods.

Last Meeting

Atlanta came back to beat Norfolk in the last meeting between the two clubs last Saturday. Derek Topatigh scored for the Glads with under a minute remaining in regulation to tie the game at 4-4 and force overtime. Later in a shootout, Derek Nesbitt and Eric Neiley sealed Atlanta's 5-4 victory.

We're Going Streaking!

After a 4-3 victory over South Carolina on Sunday, the Gladiators have now won nine consecutive and tied a franchise record that was set during the 2005-2006 season. Over the past nine games, Atlanta has outscored opponents 42-17 for a 4.67 goals-for average and a 1.89 goals-against average. All nine wins have come against the bottom three teams in the South Division. The win streak has helped propel Atlanta to first place in the division for the first time since October of 2016.

Power Play Humming

The Gladiators have scored power-play goals in four of their last five games, including the last three contests. In those last five games, Atlanta is 9-23 (39.3%) on the man-advantage. The Glads have also notched power-play goals in 12 of their last 14 games, going 18-52 (34.6%) on the man-up in that span. Derek Topatigh leads Atlanta with 13 power-play points and five power-play goals. The Glads' power play had been ranked near the bottom of the league for most of the season, but in recent weeks Atlanta has climbed up to 15th in league rankings.

Top Gun

Cody Sylvester leads the Gladiators with 49 points (24G-25A) this season, and his 24 tallies tie him for third in goals in the ECHL. The 29-year-old has scratched points in nine straight games dating back to Jan. 30 against Jacksonville, racking up 17 points (10G-7A) in that span. Sylvester has goals in seven of his last eight contests, including four red lights in his last three games. The forward is one tally away from tying his North American high of 25 goals that he set last year with Wheeling. Sylvester scored 27 goals in the 2017-18 season with Bad Nauheim in the German league DEL-2.

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WHEN: Friday, Mar. 11 at 7:30 PM ET

WHERE: Gas South Arena - Duluth, Ga.

WHO: Atlanta Gladiators vs Norfolk Admirals

PROMOTION: DC Night, Chuck & Chernoff's Big Night Out

BROADCAST: All Atlanta Gladiators games are broadcast live on the Gladiators Broadcast Network. Listen to the game online at Mixlr.com, or watch the game on FloHockey.TV. Tonight's game will also be aired on 680 AM & 93.7 FM The Fan.

GAME NOTES

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