Young Records First Career Four-Point Night in Comeback Win over Stingrays
Published on February 20, 2026 under ECHL (ECHL)
Atlanta Gladiators News Release
Atlanta Gladiators' Ben Hawerchuk and Carolina Stingrays' Josh Wilkins in action
(Atlanta Gladiators)
North Charleston, SC - The Atlanta Gladiators defeated the South Carolina Stingrays 4-2 on Friday night at North Charleston Coliseum. The Gladiators overcame a 2-0 deficit, scoring four straight goals to complete their 3rd multi-goal comeback of the season. Forward Alex Young factored in on every single Gladiators goal, recording his first career four-point game with 2 goals and 2 assists.
The Gladiators opened a three-game road trip at North Charleston Coliseum, meeting the Stingrays for the first time in about a month. Ethan Haider started in net for the Gladiators, while Seth Eisele started in goal for the Stingrays. Gladiators forward Nick McCarry made his professional debut for Atlanta.
It was a rocky start for Atlanta, as the Gladiators fell behind early with Stingrays defenseman Romain Rodzinski scoring 3:42 into the contest. Rodzinski floated a shot from the left point by Haider for the opening score off of a faceoff win from Patrick Guzzo. South Carolina added to its lead with a late first period goal with 6:25 on the clock from Ludwig Persson. The puck pinballed to the slot to Persson who ripped it past Haider to put the Stingrays up 2-0. The Gladiators did kill a late penalty to gain some momentum but after one period of play, South Carolina led 2-0 and the shot count 13-4.
The ice turned into a warzone in the second period, featuring three fights and a total of 57 penalty minutes combined - 22 for Atlanta and 35 for South Carolina. The Gladiators found a way to make it work in their favor and knock the Stingrays off their game. Off of a 4 on 4 after a fight from Ethan Scardina and Dean Loukus, the Gladiators scored off the rush with Ryan Francis scoring from Alex Young and Ryan Conroy 5:30 into the second to make it 2-1. Then after a fight from Ryley Appelt and Simon Pinard, the Gladiators scored a shorthanded goal to make it 2-2. Carson Denomie created a turnover and found Young for the score with 5:38 left in the period. The fireworks did not end there, as in the final minute of the period, Ryan Conroy fought Bryan Moore and chaos ensued. Moore and Ben Hawerchuk both ended up with match penalties, with Conroy getting a minor. Out of all of it, the Gladiators had a three minute 5 on 3 power play after the opening minute of the third. After two periods, the game was tied 2-2 with the Stingrays outshooting the Gladiators 23-13.
Atlanta cashed in on the extended power play with the eventual game winner 3:27 into the third period, as Cody Sylvester slammed in his 14th goal of the season from Chad Nychuk and Alex Young to make it 3-2 Atlanta. With the score, Sylvester extended his goal scoring streak to three games with 4 goals in that span. The Gladiators were able to fend off the Stingrays and bury an empty netter from Alex Young with 1:31 to go to make it a 4-2 final and complete the comeback. Haider stopped 30/32 in the win for the Gladiators as Atlanta went 1/5 on the power play and 3/3 on the penalty kill. This game featured a new season high in PIMS for and against the Gladiators. Alex Young factored in on every Gladiators goal with 2 goals and 2 assists for his first career four-point game.
The rematch is set for Saturday night at North Charleston Coliseum as the Stingrays host the Gladiators for the second game of the three-game road trip. Puck drop is set for 6:05 PM EST, with coverage on the Gladiators Broadcast Network on FloHockey and YouTube beginning at 5:45 PM EST.
Images from this story
 Atlanta Gladiators' Ben Hawerchuk and Carolina Stingrays' Josh Wilkins in action |
ECHL Stories from February 20, 2026
- Wichita Suffers 4-3 Loss at Kansas City - Wichita Thunder
- Mavericks Defeat Wichita, Push Winning Streak to 10 - Kansas City Mavericks
- Golden Monsters Dominate Steelheads 6-0 with High Rolling Power Play - Tahoe Knight Monsters
- Railers Cap off Comeback with 5-4 Overtime Win against Rush - Worcester Railers HC
- Steelheads Suffer 6-0 Shutout Loss to Knight Monsters - Idaho Steelheads
- Icemen Earn a Point in 3-2 Overtime Loss at Florida - Jacksonville Icemen
- Torchia Dazzles, Worcester Rallies to Stun Rush in Overtime - Rapid City Rush
- Gratton's OT Goal Wins It for Utah - Utah Grizzlies
- Bison Fall to Mariners - Bloomington Bison
- Gargoyles Drop Game 1 in Glens Falls, 4-3, to Adirondack - Greensboro Gargoyles
- Young Records First Career Four-Point Night in Comeback Win over Stingrays - Atlanta Gladiators
- Heartlanders Blank Cyclones, 2-0, for Fourth Straight Win - Iowa Heartlanders
- Blades Rally from 2-0 Deficit for 3-2 OT Win - Florida Everblades
- Americans Fall to Utah in OT - Allen Americans
- Komets Fight But Come up Short in Norfolk - Fort Wayne Komets
- Cyclones Blanked by the Heartlanders 2-0 - Cincinnati Cyclones
- Cronin's Three Point Night Leads Mariners over Bison - Maine Mariners
- Stingrays Fall to Gladiators, 4-2 - South Carolina Stingrays
- Kelly Cup Champions Lay Down the Law against the Walleye - Trois-Rivieres Lions
- Fuel Earn Point in Overtime Loss to K-Wings - Indy Fuel
- K-Wings Best Fuel in OT Friday - Kalamazoo Wings
- Lions Score Three Goals Quickly as Walleye Fall 6-3 in Trois-Rivières - Toledo Walleye
- Matt Salhany Scores Twice in 4-3 Win over Greensboro - Adirondack Thunder
- ECHL Transactions - February 20 - ECHL
- Zac Funk Re-Assigned to South Carolina, Kaden Bohlsen Recalled by Hershey - South Carolina Stingrays
- ECHL Announces Fines, Suspensions - ECHL
- Win $10,000 at the Royals "St.Hat-Trick's Day" Game on March 15th - Reading Royals
- Grizzlies Sign Goaltender Hunter Miska - Utah Grizzlies
- Gargoyles Join Winston-Salem Thunderbirds at Youth Learn to Skate - Greensboro Gargoyles
- Rush Game Notes: February 20, 2026 vs. Worcester Railers - Rapid City Rush
- Game Day: Celebrate Texas Night in DFW - Allen Americans
- Worcester Takes Series Opener from Rapid City 3-2 - Worcester Railers HC
- Rush's Comeback Falls Short against Worcester - Rapid City Rush
- Mastrodonato Bookends Scoring in Overtime Win over Tulsa - Greenville Swamp Rabbits
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
