IceGators Eliminated
April 24, 2004 - ECHL (ECHL)
Louisiana IceGators News Release
Duluth, GA â The Louisiana IceGators' season ended in Duluth, GA this evening as the Gwinnett Gladiators came from behind to take game four of the Central Division Finals 6-5 in overtime.
The IceGators struck first tonight as Konstatin Kalmikov scored the first of his two goals. Kalmikov snatched the rebound of a shot by Dennis Shiryaev and bounced it off Gladiator netminder Michael Garnett to put the Gators up 1-0. Jamie Johnson assisted. The Gladiators tied it up on a goal by Blue Bennefield just four minutes later.
Maxime Fortunus added his first ever post-season goal to the tally to break the 1-1 tie just past the halfway mark of the first period when he beat Garnett five-hole off a centering feed from Kenny Corupe.
Kalmikov, Shiryaev and Johnson gave a repeat performance with 2:15 left as Kalmikov caught Shiryaev's centering feed and one-timed it into the twine from five feet out.
Rick Emmett cut the Gators' lead to one goal when his late tally beat Gustafson with less than a minute left in the period.
Bruce Richardson wasted no time giving the IceGators a two-goal cushion to open the second period. Shortly after three minutes had ticked off the clock, Richardson and Alex Materukhin attacked the Gladiators' end in a two-on-one rush. Materukhin passed to Richardson who put the puck in the net with a backhanded wrist shot.
The Gladiators cut the lead again with a goal from Chris Durno, who tipped a shot from Troy Milam past Gustafson with eight minutes left in the middle frame.
The IceGators opened the scoring early in the third the way they did in the first two frames as Kevin Mitchell gave the Gators another two goal cushion.
Alex Materukhin, earning his second assist of the night, blasted a shot on Garnett who coughed it back up. Mitchell pounced on the rebound, waited for Garnett to drop for the block and then lifted the puck top-shelf for the fifth Gators' goal.
Gwinnett bounced back swiftly when Paul Flache put his first goal of the post-season past Gustafson at the 3:40 mark. Just 29 seconds later, Kris Goodjohn tied things up at five goals each when his shot trickled between Gustafson's arm and torso and flopped into the goal.
With the tally at five apiece, the two teams headed into ovetime. The goaltenders dueled through the first overtime frame, both staying perfect between the pipes. The Gators barraged Garnett with 16 shots in the extra frame while only allowing two.
The second overtime looked like the first for nine minutes. The Gators dominated in shots on goal with nine to the Gladiators' two. Unfortunately, the advantage in shots did not translate into a goal for the IceGators.
Just past the nine minute mark, Gwinnett's Paul Flache knocked Josh Mizerek off the puck and skated in on Gustafson. The Gators' netminder caught a piece of the puck before it crossed the line and ended the Gators' season.
The Gladiators will now face the Idaho Steelheads in the Western Conference Finals.
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ECHL Stories from April 24, 2004
- Gladiators Advance to Western Conference Final - Atlanta Gladiators
- Tickets now on sale for Steelheads vs. Gladiators series - Idaho Steelheads
- Edinger Called Up to the Worcester IceCats - Peoria Rivermen
- IceGators Eliminated - Louisiana IceGators
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