GREENVILLE, SC - The Atlanta Gladiators fell to the Greenville Swamp Rabbits 5-2 Saturday night after Greenville rookie Liam Pecararo recorded a hat trick to continue his productive start to the 2019-2020 ECHL campaign.
For the second straight evening, the hosting Swamp Rabbits struck in the opening minutes. On this night, it was Kamerin Nault putting Greenville on top just :60 seconds into the contest, with assists from Pecararo and Adam Larkin. Atlanta responded with 6:33 to play in the opening frame. D Anthony Collins and F Tommy Marchin found F Sam Asselin behind the net before the Repentigny, Quebec product skated to the front of Chris Nell's crease and buried the chance to tie the game. With less than two minutes to play in the first period, D Rob Powers, who was making his first appearance of the season, found Scott Conway for the go-ahead goal.
After relieving Sean Bonar on Friday night, Martin Ouellette got his second straight night of action in goal. He continued to look sharp in his first Gladiators start, but it was Atlanta relenting first in a defensive second period. Greenville's Larkin and Michael Pelech found the electric rookie Pecararo for the game-tying goal on a power play.
The Swamp Rabbits struck again early in the third period when Pecararo continued his dynamic start. Travis Howe and Cedric Lacroix assisted the rookie on the go-ahead goal roughly 4:30 into the final frame. The Canton, MA product completed the quest for the hat trick just after the Gladiators earned a power play. Ouellette had no chance to stop the breakaway opportunity and the deficit grew to two with 9:30 remaining. While Greenville found an empty net goal with :70 remaining, Atlanta failed to produce another score and dropped their second straight contest.
The Gladiators hit the ice on Wednesday evening as they visit the Jacksonville Icemen for their next contest. Puck drop is set for 7:00 PM at Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena. Atlanta returns home on Sunday, November 3rd at 2:05 PM with an exciting array of promotions: the Dia de los Muertos sugar skull bobblehead giveaway, a limited edition long sleeve shirt commemorating the day, and a VIP meet and greet experience with a select number of Atlanta United FC players. Get your tickets today by clicking here!
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