ECHL Atlanta Gladiators

Weekend Series on the Line this Afternoon in Jacksonville

Published on March 20, 2022 under ECHL (ECHL)
Atlanta Gladiators News Release


JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The Atlanta Gladiators (37-19-3-1) go head-to-head with the Jacksonville Icemen (34-20-2-2) this afternoon in the rubber match of a three-game weekend series in the Sunshine State. The Gladiators hold a 5-2-0-1 advantage in the season series leading into today's affair.

Scouting the Icemen

Jacksonville features a balanced attack lead by Craig Martin's 49 points (19G-30A). The Icemen rank first in the ECHL by only allowing 2.41 goals per game, and their penalty kill is tops in the league at 83.3%. Francois Brassard and Charles Williams have split the Jacksonville net so far this season. Brassard has the better numbers with a 14-6-1-1 record, 2.07 goals-against average, and .918 save percentage. The Icemen are tied for the most overtime games played with 13 and hold a 5-2 record in OT and a 4-2 record in shootouts.

Last Time Out/Last Meeting

The Gladiators bounced back against the Icemen with a 4-3 road victory last night. Hugo Roy, Eric Neiley, and Kameron Kielly started the scoring for Atlanta in the first period, and Cody Sylvester added the game-winning goal in the second. Chris Nell turned in a stellar performance in net with a season-high 41 saves.

Tim and Topes are Top Tier

Only four other teams in the ECHL have active pairs of defensemen who have produced more offensively than Atlanta's Tim Davison and Derek Topatigh. Davison (7G-31A) and Topatigh (11G-23A) have combined for 72 points this season and are tied for eighth and rank 14th respectively in defensive scoring. Both have set new professional highs in points with their production this season. Davison leads Atlanta with a +18 rating while Topatigh ranks second for the Glads at +15.

Killers

The Gladiators have only allowed two power-play goals in their last 12 games dating back to Feb. 20 against Greenville, including a perfect 3-for-3 effort last night against Jacksonville. Atlanta is 38 for its last 40 on the kill in that span, holding the opposition's power play scoreless at a 95.0% clip. The Glads are perfect in their last five games on the kill going 15-for-15 in that stretch. The Atlanta penalty kill has climbed up to sixth in the ECHL rankings at 83.3%. The Gladiators' own the league's best kill on home ice at 87.6% while their road mark ranks 20th at 78.1%.

Top Gun

Cody Sylvester leads the Gladiators with 53 points (25G-28A) this season, and his 25 tallies tie him for fourth in ECHL goals. The forward has tied his previous North American high of 25 goals that he set last year with Wheeling. With the deciding marker last night against Jacksonville, Sylvester now leads the ECHL with eight game-winning goals. The 29-year-old is tied for both the longest and the second longest goal streaks in the ECHL this season. Sylvester pieced together a seven-game goal streak from Jan. 30 to Feb. 20 and a six-game goal streak from Nov. 5 to Nov. 19.

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WHEN: Sunday, Mar. 20 at 3:00 PM ET

WHERE: VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena - Jacksonville, Fla.

WHO: Atlanta Gladiators at Jacksonville Icemen

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.

Check out the Atlanta Gladiators Statistics

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ECHL Stories from March 20, 2022


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