ECHL: Atlanta Gladiators vs Florida Everblades | 10/30/2024

The Florida Everblades faced off against the Atlanta Gladiators in a thrilling ECHL South Division matchup at Gas South Arena for Scooby-Doo Night. With both teams looking to secure crucial points early in the season, the game promised to be a competitive and exciting contest, especially with it being the third game between the two teams.

Atlanta Gladiators

• First Line: Cody Sylvester (A) – Blake Murray – Eric Neiley (C)
• Second Line: Carson Denomie – Jackson Pierson – Easton Armstrong
• Third Line: P.J. Fletcher – Connor Galloway – Joey Cipollone
• Fourth Line: Michael Marchesan – Joshua Boyer – Filip Forsmark

Defense Pairings:

• First Pairing: Derek Topatigh – Zach Yoder
• Second Pairing: Jeremy Hanzel – Brendan Datema
• Third Pairing: Andrew Jarvis – Christian Hausinger

Goaltenders:

• Starter: Drew DeRidder
• Backup: Ethan Haider

Florida Everblades

• First Line: Oliver Chau – Kyle Betts – Carson Gicewicz
• Second Line: Logan Lambdin – Colton Hargrove – Andrew Fyten
• Third Line: Jesse Lansdell – Mike O’Leary – Colin Theisen
• Fourth Line:– Ben Brar – Craig Needham – Kyle Neuber

Defense Pairings:

• First Pairing: Kris Myllari – Jérémie Biakabutuka
• Second Pairing: Adrien Bisson – Jordan Sambrook
• Third Pairing: Sean Allen – Santino Centorame

Goaltenders:

• Starter: Cam Johnson
• Backup: Will Cranley

Team Statistics Heading into the Game

Atlanta Gladiators

• Record: 2-2-0
• Goals For: 5
• Goals Against: 9
• Power Play: 9.1 %
• Penalty Kill: 82%
• Shooting Percentage: 5.3% Atlanta

Florida Everblades

• Record: 3-0-0
• Goals For: 12
• Goals Against: 3
• Power Play: 28.6%
• Penalty Kill: 100%
• Overtime Wins: 1

Period 1:

DeRidder masterfully blocked Centorame’s shot on his net. The Blades tried to seize a thrilling 3-on-2 chance, but DeRidder nullified Gicewicz’s shot. Atlanta launched a ferocious shot at Johnson, but Pierson’s attempt was skillfully diverted as the Gladiators worked to keep the Blades on edge. Betts unleashed a shot, but Jarvis swiftly shut it down. Hargrove’s potent slapshot grazed the crossbar.

Later, Yoder found himself in the box after being penalized for high-sticking (8:19). The Gladiators faced the daunting task of neutralizing the Everblades’ lethal PP unit. Their mettle was quickly tested when Biakabutuka’s center shot was deftly turned away by DeRidder. Atlanta returned to full strength after the successful kill.

Atlanta nearly recorded a goal with Neiley’s shot, but Johnson executed a brilliant save. After DeRidder’s clutch save on Brar’s shot, tempers flared behind the net as Neuber exchanged verbal jabs with Sylvester. DeRidder pulled off a sliding save against Hargrove’s shot during a tense odd-man rush. Atlanta unleashed a major offensive when Galloway’s intricate shot narrowly missed the goal. Another chance arose when Topatigh’s shot nearly found the net, only to be deflected. Florida’s Fyten, assisted by Hargrove, skillfully slipped one past DeRidder, putting Florida ahead by one (15:41). Hanzel had a golden opportunity, but his shot agonizingly missed the net. Despite the Gladiators’ trio of consecutive chances, all were denied by Johnson’s stunning saves. A lucky deflection off a skate almost caught Johnson off guard, but he expertly averted the puck from the net.

Here’s a summary of the first period:

• Score: Florida leads Atlanta 1-0.
• Goal: Scored by A. Fyten at 15:41, assisted by C. Hargrove and S. Allen.
• Shots on Goal: Florida had 11 shots, while Atlanta had nine.
• Power Plays: Florida had one power play opportunity but didn’t score. Atlanta had no power play opportunities.
• Penalties: Atlanta had one penalty for 2 minutes, while Florida had no penalties.

Period 2:

Cam Johnson tumbled onto the ice following Neiley’s thrilling shot, but both sprang back into the action in no time. Jackson Pierson almost broke free for a spectacular solo run, but was reined in by the Blades’ alert defender, Jordan Sambrook, who earned a hooking call at the 1:12 mark. This set the stage for the Gladiators’ first power play. They seized the opportunity, with Cody Sylvester masterfully setting up Murray to slam the puck into the net (2:11). Neiley chipped in with the crucial assist, helping to level the playing field. The Blades’ Fyten found himself in the penalty box for a cross-checking offense (3:39), followed swiftly by a delay of game penalty that saw Colin Theisen benched, handing the Gladiators a formidable 5-on-3 advantage (3:55). Like clockwork, they turned the tide once more, Sylvester firing a lethal wrist shot past Johnson. Assists were credited to D. Topatigh and B. Murray, edging the Gladiators ahead by a single point at 4:43. The teams were back on equal footing, setting the stage for a tense showdown.

Everblades’ Kyle Neuber sent the Gladiators’ Neiley crashing into the boards, sparking a surge of energy through the Gladiator ranks. The ‘Blades soon found themselves at a disadvantage, with Neuber banished to the penalty box (6:38). The Gladiators seized this opportunity, dominating the game in the Everblades’ zone during this period. However, the Everblades resisted the pressure, successfully neutralizing the penalty.

After the icing call on Florida, the Blades got their second power play chance when Neiley was called for hooking (9:42). Hargrove’s stick snapped, but he returned to play quickly. Following that, two shots were taken on the Everblades after Boyer delivered two strong attempts on goal. The Everblades forced the puck down to the Gladiators’ zone, and then Lambdin, set up by Kyle Myllari, scored the tying goal at 11:33. Later, the Gladiators took a shot at Johnson as Galloway fired one, but his attempt went wide.

Atlanta’s Derek Topatigh and Florida’s Carson Gicewicz collided, yet both players rose up quickly. Myllari and Neiley hit the ice hard moments later, and Neiley received a second trip to the penalty box for holding (14:16). The Gladiators’ DeRidder fell hard at the net, but the Gladiators snagged the loose puck. Moments later Cipollone found his way past Johnson, scoring the short-handed goal with Sylvester assisting (14:45). The score was now 3-2 in favor of Atlanta. The Gladiators got another shot (14:45), but Johnson sent Boyer’s shot away. A center pass from Pierson sailed wide of the target, and we returned to even strength. At the end of the frame DeRidder executed a crucial save as Theisen from Florida attempted a shot on goal.

Here’s a summary of the second period:

• Goals (2nd): Scored by A. Fyten at 15:41, assisted by C. Hargrove and S. Allen. B. Murray (Power Play) at 2:11, C. Sylvester (Power Play) at 4:43 and J. Cipollone (Short-Handed) at 14:45.
• Shots on Goal (2nd): Florida registered eight shots, whereas Atlanta recorded thirteen.
• Power Plays (2nd): Florida capitalized on their only power play opportunity, going 1/1, while Atlanta was perfect on their power plays, scoring on both chances, going 2/2.
• Penalties (2nd): Atlanta had two penalties for 4 minutes, Florida with the same.
• Score (2nd): Atlanta leads 3-2.

Period 3:

We started the third with the Gladiators holding on to the momentum. They managed to take a few shots on target, but none were quite strong enough for Johnson to struggle with keeping at bay. Once more, Atlanta pushed the play into Florida’s zone, and Galloway took a shot on goal, but Johnson deflected it. Topatigh made a strong attempt to push it through, but Johnson swiftly swatted it away yet again.

The Gladiators forged ahead. DeRidder gloved the shot made by Gicewicz just moments later. The puck struck the crossbar before landing next to DeRidder. Although it appeared that the puck might have gone in, there was no goal, with no official review.

The Gladiators managed to gain control after play resumed, but Lambdin retrieved the puck, only for Datema to check it away. DeRidder caught the puck cleanly as Hargrove took a shot. He did it once more after Theisen took his own chance and DeRidder cleared it away yet again. Yoder initiated the line change, and Sylvester got to work to set up Hanzel, but Johnson was there to block the shot. Florida kept driving on, but so did the Gladiators. The Gladiators were now short-handed as PJ Fletcher was called for hooking (13:14). DeRidder cleared two solid shots on net by Florida as the Gladiators defended. Jarvis successfully blocked the shot from Florida. Atlanta managed to kill the penalty, maintaining the momentum in their favor.

Atlanta set up a shot at Johnson, but he successfully blocked Murray’s attempt with his glove. The Gladiators faced off against the Everblades, who won the puck, but the Gladiators were given a moment to regroup. However, the Blades received the icing call, so they headed back to the faceoff once more. With less than three minutes remaining, the Gladiators continued to show no signs of slowing down. DeRidder made the save on Lansdell’s shot. A timeout was called. Florida pulled their netminder. Topatigh fought for it. DeRidder made a save from his position, but Florida retrieved the puck. With only 19 seconds left on the clock, Gicewicz capitalized on a rebound, thanks to assists from Theisen and Chau. The game was tied at 3-3, and it looked like we would be heading into overtime.

• Score (3rd): Tied at 3, sending the game into overtime.
• Goals (3rd): 19:41 – C. Gicewicz, assisted by C. Theisen and O. Chau
• Shots on Goal (3rd): Florida registered nine shots, whereas Atlanta recorded seven.
• Power Plays (2nd): Florida had only one power play opportunity, going 0/1.
• Penalties (2nd): Atlanta had one penalty, for 2 minutes.

Overtime

Florida secures the faceoff, but shortly after, the Gladiators take a powerful shot at Johnson. Topatigh nearly clinches the victory, but the attempt misses the target. Pierson also takes a shot, yet Johnson successfully makes the save. They get another chance after DeRidder’s save when Topatigh fires a laser but missed high. DeRidder makes another incredible save, halting Florida’s advances once again on the shot by Gicewicz. Sylvester finds a shot but Johnson made the stop. DeRidder makes an impressive save on the shot, redirecting it aside. However, Florida manages to get the puck past him as Hargrove tips it in. We end the game with a Florida win, 4-3.

Overtime Stats:

Game Notes

Three Stars of the Game:

1. C. Hargrove (Florida)
2. C. Sylvester (Atlanta)
3. C. Gicewicz (Florida)

The Atlanta Gladiators have a busy schedule coming up this weekend. On Saturday, November 2, 2024, the team will face off against the Savannah Ghost Pirates in an away game scheduled for 7:00 PM EDT. The following day, Sunday, November 3, 2024, they will continue their road trip with another away game, this time against the South Carolina Stingrays at 3:05 PM EST. These back-to-back matchups promise to be an exciting weekend of hockey as the team competes against tough divisional opponents.