Atlanta Gladiators Win Fourth Straight, Take Over Fifth Place In South Division

Thursday night, The Atlanta Gladiators picked up a big win on the road in Savannah 4-1 over the Ghost Pirates, increasing their winning streak to four in the process.

The Glads had outscored their opponents 12-6 over the three-game winning streak coming into Thursday, and dominated Savannah in this contest.

Atlanta forward Randy Hernandez got the scoring started at 5:04 of the first period, capitalizing on a rink-wide pass from Blake Murray past Orlando netminder Evan Cormier for his fifth of the season. Patriks Marcinkevics picked up the secondary assist. The Gladiators outshot Savannah 12-7 in that opening frame.

The Ghost Pirates tied the game 1-1 at the 4:51 mark of the second period, when Liam Walsh deflected a shot from the point by Will Riedell into the net, beating Glads goaltender Drew DeRidder. It was Walsh’s fourth goal of the year.

The final period saw Atlanta gain complete control, scoring three goals in just over two minutes. Glads captain Eric Neiley gave his team the lead for good after putting in a rebound off a Cody Sylvester shot for his eighth of the season. Zach Yoder was credited with the secondary helper on the play.

Atlanta struck again 1:46 later, as Murray tipped in a backdoor feed from Andrew Jarvis for his seventh tally of the season and a 3-1 Glads lead. Marcinkevics earned another secondary assist, his second of the game.

The Glads’ final goal came just 31 seconds later. At the 4:44 mark of the final frame, Sylvester picked up his own rebound and wrapped the puck around the net past the outstretched pad of Cormier for the 4-1 final.

It was a big win for the Gladiators, who improved to 11-11-4 and leapfrogged over the Ghost Pirates to take over fifth place in the South Division. With the loss, Savannah falls to 12-11-1.

DeRidder was outstanding in net, stopping 40 of 41 shots. Cormier stopped 29 of 33 and took the loss.

Atlanta returns home Friday night to host the Orlando Solar Bears at Gas South Arena. Puck drop is set for 7:30 Pm ET. It’s another pivotal division matchup, as Atlanta and Orlando each have 26 points, but the Gladiators maintain fifth place by percentage points.

Savannah’s next action is Saturday night, also against the Solar Bears at home. Puck drop is set for 7 Pm ET.