Here’s a quick roundup of how the South Division teams in the ECHL performed this past week:
- Atlanta Gladiators: Drew DeRidder and Ethan Haider each earned their first professional shutouts, both against the Indy Fuel. The Gladiators are perfect on the penalty kill so far (6-for-6).
- Florida Everblades: Anton Malmström scored an overtime game-winner against Jacksonville. The Everblades were also perfect on the penalty kill in that game.
- Greenville Swamp Rabbits: Stuart Rolofs had a strong professional debut with three points (1 goal, 2 assists) against Orlando.
- Jacksonville Icemen: Logan Cockerill scored two goals in their opener, before a recorded crowd of 12,467 fans.
- Orlando Solar Bears: Tyler Bird is close to becoming the team’s all-time leading goal scorer while earning the hatty. The Solar Bears still earned points in their first two road games.
- Savannah Ghost Pirates: Evan Cormier had a standout performance, stopping 28 of 29 shots in their win over Indy in front of 7,485 fans.
- South Carolina Stingrays: Austin Magera contributed two assists in their season opener, and the team went 1-for-4 on the power play.
Final Scores
Friday, October 18, 2024
Orlando Solar Bears – 5 vs. Greenville Swamp Rabbits – 4 (Final OT)
Orlando narrowly edging out Greenville 5-4. Looks like Tyler Bird was on fire, bagging a hat trick, including the OT winner. Stuart Rolofs from Greenville also stood out, with a goal and two assists. Not too shabby attendance either—6658 fans catching all the action.
Read the detailed Game Recap by Jake Farmer
Indy Fuel – 1 vs. Savannah Ghost Pirates – 4
Savannah really came out swinging against Indy, taking a solid 4-1 win. The trio of Evan Cormier, Riese Gaber, and Dennis Cesana were on another level—racking up the three stars of the game. Also, quite a bit of rough play with Indy racking up 15 penalty minutes over six infractions, while Savannah had 11 penalty minutes over four infractions. Rough game with a fair bit of time in the sin bin.
Saturday, October 19, 2024
Orlando Solar Bears – 3 vs. South Carolina Stingrays – 4 (Final OT)
Looks like another OT thriller! South Carolina eked out a 4-3 win over Orlando with Micah Miller clinching the OT winner just 36 seconds into extra time.
Both teams managed their fair share of penalties—Orlando with 13 minutes from five infractions, and South Carolina with 11 minutes from four. Fights, roughing, and even a bit of elbowing—quite a heated game!
Indy Fuel – 0 vs. Atlanta Gladiators – 1
Well, Atlanta managed to hold off Indy for a tight 1-0 victory. Drew DeRidder played a solid game, making 25 saves and securing the shutout. Sylvester snagged the lone goal for Atlanta with a power-play marker in the first period.
Indy had quite the penalty haul, accumulating 14 minutes over seven infractions. Seems like their time in the penalty box just might have been their undoing.
Florida Everblades – 3 vs. Jacksonville Icemen – 2 (Final OT)
Florida took down Jacksonville 3-2 in overtime, with Anton Malmström scoring the OT winner. Logan Cockerill had a solid game for Jacksonville, scoring twice and getting one of the three stars of the game.
Both teams stayed pretty disciplined with only 6 penalty minutes each, but Florida’s comeback in the third period to tie it and then win it in OT shows some real grit by the Kelly Cup champions.
Saturday, October 19, 2024
Indy Fuel – 0 vs. Atlanta Gladiators – 3
Atlanta dominates Indy again, this time with a 3-0 shutout! Ethan Haider was a brick wall in goal, stopping all 31 shots for the clean sheet. Atlanta’s offense was led by Cody Sylvester with a goal and an assist, along with a solid performance from Jackson Pierson.
The defense also did a fantastic job, keeping Indy off the scoreboard and limiting their chances.
