ECHL Atlanta Gladiators

On the Road Again: Norfolk Series Begins Tonight

Published on March 2, 2022 under ECHL (ECHL)
Atlanta Gladiators News Release


NORFOLK, Va. - The Atlanta Gladiators (30-17-3-1) set out on a four-game road trip that starts tonight against the Norfolk Admirals (18-27-2-2). Tonight marks the ninth of 12 meetings between the Glads and the Ads this season, with Atlanta holding a 5-3-0-0 advantage in the season series. The Gladiators will meet the Admirals on Friday and Saturday of this week as well.

Scouting the Admirals

The Admirals currently rank sixth out of seven teams in the South Division with a .408 points percentage. Norfolk is just 3-7-0-0 in its last 10 games, but was able to take down division-leading Jacksonville on Saturday in a 5-2 road victory. The Admirals are currently nine games below .500, but they are an even 9-9-1-1 when playing at home. Alex Tonge continues to lead Norfolk with now 40 points (21G-19A) this season. NHL-contracted Beck Warm continues to be the Admirals' best option in net with a 7-10-0-1 record, 3.00 goals-against average, and .912 save percentage.

Last Time Out/Last Meeting

On Friday, the Gladiators honored their captain Derek Nesbitt for his 1000-game milestone, and Atlanta cruised to a 4-1 win over Norfolk with the help of three power-play goals. Sanghoon Shin extended his goal streak to five games and Cody Sylvester found the back of the net twice. On his special night, Nesbitt lit the lamp on an empty-netter to seal Atlanta's 30th win of the season.

Top Gun

With two goals on Feb. 25 against Norfolk, Cody Sylvester is now tied with Tulsa's Dylan Sadowy for the league lead at 24 tallies. 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.n.

Power Play Coming to Life

Atlanta's power play has started to heat up over the last two weeks. The Glads have scored power-play goals in nine of their last 10 games, including three on Feb. 25 vs Norfolk. Over the last 10 contests, Atlanta is 12-33 (36.4%) on the man-advantage. Last Friday against the Admirals was the first time that the Gladiators had scored three power-play goals since Mar. 3, 2020 against Orlando. Atlanta's power play has jumped up to 22nd in the ECHL at 17.8%.

Nell Returns from AHL

Goaltender Chris Nell came back from the AHL's Cleveland Monsters on Feb. 28 when he was returned on loan to Atlanta. Nell originally signed a PTO with Cleveland on Feb. 20, but did not appear in an AHL game before rejoining the Glads. The 6-foot-1 netminder has won six of his last seven games with Atlanta and owns a 9-9-0-0 record, 2.79 goals-against average, and .906 save percentage.

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WHEN: Wednesday, Mar. 2 at 7:30 PM ET

WHERE: Norfolk Scope - Norfolk, Va.

WHO: Atlanta Gladiators at Norfolk Admirals

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.

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