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ECHL Atlanta Gladiators

Stingrays Come to Town to Challenge Glads

February 24, 2022 - ECHL (ECHL)
Atlanta Gladiators News Release


DULUTH, Ga. - The Atlanta Gladiators (28-17-3-1) welcome in the South Carolina Stingrays (17-26-5-0) to Gas South Arena for just the second time this season. South Carolina last visited Duluth on Nov. 27 and defeated Atlanta in stunning fashion with two goals in the last 14 seconds of regulation in a 2-1 final. The Glads have a 1-1-1-0 record in three previous meetings with the Stingrays this season.

Scouting the Stingrays

The Stingrays sit at sixth place in the South Division after a 4-1 win last night against Greenville. South Carolina's captain Andrew Cherniwchan (16G-15A) is tied with Justin Florek (14G-17A) for the team lead with 31 points. Rookie Derek Gentile has given the Stingrays a boost and is averaging a point-per-game with 17 points (6G-11A) in 17 contests. South Carolina has seen its fair share of offensive struggles this season and currently rank last in the league in scoring. Ryan Bednard has been the workhorse in net for the club with an 11-13-2-0 record, 3.00 goals-against average, and .898 save percentage.

Last Time Out

The Gladiators completed a three-game sweep of the Greenville Swamp Rabbits last Sunday at Gas South Arena. Cody Sylvester recorded Atlanta's first four-point game of the season with two goals and two assists, while also extending his goal-streak to seven games. Joe Murdaca stepped into the crease for the Glads and grabbed the win with 27 saves on 28 shots.

Last Meeting

Atlanta last met South Carolina in the Palmetto State on Nov. 28 and suffered a 4-3 defeat in overtime. Derek Nesbitt led the Glads with a goal and an assist. Derek Topatigh and Hugo Roy also found the back of the net for Atlanta. Andrew Cherniwchan netted the game-winner in overtime for the Stingrays.

Nell Yeah!

Goaltender Chris Nell was loaned to the Cleveland Monsters in the AHL on Sunday, immediately following his 17-save road victory against Greenville last Saturday. In 31 career AHL games Nell has racked up a 11-13-2 record, a 3.31 goals-against average, and a .893 save percentage. Nell spent last season with the Tucson Roadrunners in the AHL and allowed only 17 goals in 7 appearances.

You Sly Dog

With two goals on Sunday against Greenville, Cody Sylvester has now lit the lamp in seven straight games. Sylvester also strung together a six-game goal streak earlier in the season from Nov. 5 to Nov. 19. With his six and seven-game goal streaks, Sylvester owns two of the four longest goal streaks in the ECHL this season, including the longest. The 29-year-old is tied for 12th in the league with 45 points this season (22G-23A), and his 22 tallies are tied for second in the ECHL. Sylvester's career high goal total in North America is 25 with Wheeling last season.

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 their last eight games, including one on Sunday against Greenville. Over the last eight contests, Atlanta is 9-28 (32.1%) on the man-advantage. The Glads still have the third-worst power play in the ECHL overall at 16.5%, but that figure has ticked up from around 10% where it had been for most of the season.



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WHEN: Thursday, Feb. 24 at 7:00 PM ET

WHERE: Gas South Arena - Duluth, Ga.

WHO: Atlanta Gladiators vs South Carolina Stingrays

PROMOTION: Pint Night presented by Social Fox Brewing. Purchase a Gladiators pint glass and receive a voucher for a complimentary beer pour at Social Fox Brewing's taproom!

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. Today's game will also be aired on 680 AM & 93.7 FM The Fan.

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ECHL Stories from February 24, 2022


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