Glads' offense bogged down by 'Blades

ESTERO, FL – The Atlanta Gladiators dropped a 7-0 contest to the Florida Everblades Wednesday evening after D Brandon Fortunato inked a 5-point night (1G, 4A). Everblades G Ken Appleby had a 26-save performance in the shutout, stymying the high-scoring Gladiators’ offense.

The Gladiators came to Hertz Arena with a feisty attitude, and had the best chances to strike first in the opening period. Overlapping penalty calls gave Atlanta over three minutes of power play time, including :29 of a 5-on-3 advantage. The Everblades were able to kill those penalties, as well as a third in the first period to keep the contest scoreless.

The visiting Glads pushed the 0-0 score past the halfway mark of the game before Florida struck. D Patrick McCarron and F Zach Magwood found D Brandon Fortunato for the opening score of the contest with 9:40 to play in the middle frame. With the crowd still cheering, F Hunter Garlent spooned the puck to F Hugo Roy who doubled the ‘Blades lead just :11 seconds after the first tally. The game got out of hand later in the second period when F Justin Auger and Magwood each netted a goal to give the Everblades a 4-0 advantage after forty minutes of play.

D Logan Roe, F Blake Winiecki, and F Kyle Neuber added goals of their own in the third period as the ‘Blades cruised to the victory. The loss is the third straight for the Gladiators as they fall to 11-13 on the season.

Atlanta hits the ice against Friday evening in Jacksonville when they square off with the Icemen at 7:00 PM. The Gladiators return to Infinite Energy Arena Saturday night when they host the Orlando Solar Bears at 7:05 PM. It’s Holly Jolly Hockey Christmas in Atlanta on Saturday, including an Ugly Sweater Contest and the Magic Envelope promotion! The first 1,000 fans will receive a magic envelope that could contain anything from Maximus Mart discounts to Kroger gift cards. Four lucky fans will compete in the Georgia Lottery Power Shot on the ice and a chance to win great prizes from Delta, Kroger, and Arena Tavern. Fans can still secure their tickets today!

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