IceGators Take Game One From Gwinnett 3-1
April 16, 2004 - ECHL (ECHL)
Louisiana IceGators News Release
Lafayette, LA â The Louisiana IceGators hosted the Gwinnett Gladiators for game one of the Central Division Finals tonight at the Cajundome. The Gators earned the Finals berth after a nail-biting 2-1 win in double overtime against the Pensacola Ice Pilots. Gwinnett beat the Mississippi Sea Wolves three games to two in the first round to earn the trip to Louisiana.
The first period was scoreless as both goaltenders were perfect between the pipes. Gator Derek Gustafson stymied the Gladiators on eight shots, while Gladiator Adam Munro turned away 13 Gators' shots.
The Gwinnett Gladiators put a goal on the board first. Just past the midway mark, Derek Gustafson popped a rebound to Gladiator Jim Jackson, who put it top-shelf over the sprawling Gators netminder.
The IceGators stormed back in the third period, beating Munro twice in as many minutes. Bruce Richardson won the face-off in the Gladiators' zone and shot the puck up to Rod Sarich at the top of the near circle. Sarich's blaster hit Munro five-hole and trickled through his pads and across the line.
Two minutes later, Munro came out of his cage and fed the puck to a teammate, who turned it over to Richardson. Richardson fed the puck to Kenny Corupe in the high slot. Corupe's shot beat Munro five-hole for the go-ahead goal.
Gwinnett pulled Munro for the extra skater at the 18:30 mark. Bobby Brown stole the puck in front of the Gators' net and gave it to Richardson, who added a goal to his two assists with a empty-net tally to finish off the Gladiators.
The IceGators finished with 36 shots on goal and went 0-5 on the power play. The Gladiators took 41 shots at Gustafson, connecting only once, and going 0-4 with the man-advantage.
The two teams will face-off for game two tomorrow night at the Cajundome at 7:05 p.m. Game three will find the Gators in the Gladiators barn in Duluth, GA. on Wednesday, April 21. The game will broadcast on 105.1 FM KPEL. Game time for game three will be 6:35 CDT, with the IceGators pre-game show starting 15 minutes prior to the opening face-off.
ECHL Stories from April 16, 2004
- Steelheads drop opener to Aces in OT, 4-3 - Idaho Steelheads
- Prosofsky lifts Aces in Game One of Pacific Division Finals, 4-3 in OT - Alaska Aces
- Gladiators Drop Game #1, 3-1 - Atlanta Gladiators
- Everblades Bury Stingrays 6-3, Lead Series 1-0 - Florida Everblades
- IceGators Take Game One From Gwinnett 3-1 - Louisiana IceGators
- Rivermen beat defending champ Atlantic City 3-1 in Northern Division semifinals - Peoria Rivermen
- Mississippi Sea Wolves 2003-04 Records And Highlights - Mississippi Sea Wolves
- Checkers Wirll and MacIntyre will play tonight for WHA2 championship - Charlotte Checkers
- Blades Saturday Playoff Game to be Televised - Florida Everblades
- Pride to be dunked for charity - Myrtle Beach Thunderboltz
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