PREVIEW: Glads Meet Swamp Rabbits on Home Ice

WHEN: Tuesday, Nov. 1 at 7:00 PM

WHERE: Gas South Arena - Duluth, Ga.

WHO: Atlanta Gladiators vs Greenville Swamp Rabbits

BROADCAST: All Atlanta Gladiators games are broadcast live on the Gladiators Broadcast Network. Listen to the game online at Mixlr.com, or watch the game on FloHockey.TV.

GAME NOTES

DULUTH, Ga. - The Gladiators and the Swamp Rabbits meet tonight for the first of 11 meetings between the two teams this season. Atlanta dominated the season series against Greenville throughout the 2021-22 campaign by claiming wins in 11 of 15 encounters. 

Scouting the Swamp Rabbits: Greenville has managed to earn points in three of their first four games of the season, including a 9-3 win over South Carolina on Saturday in which seven different Swamp Rabbits found the back of the net. Nikita Pavlychev and Tanner Eberle lead the squad with four goals each. The Swamp Rabbits’ power play has been strong to start the season, however the Greenville penalty kill ranks near the bottom of the ECHL. Goaltenders David Hrenak and Michael McNiven have alternated starts over the first four games, and it has been McNiven to claim both Greenville victories along with a 2.50 goals-against average and a .932 save percentage.

Lightning Round: The Gladiators scored three goals in just 57 seconds on Sunday against Orlando. Mike Pelech and Derek Topatigh scored 20 seconds apart on a 4-on-3 and a 5-on-4, and then Gabe Guertler buried an even strength goal 37 seconds later. The quickest three goals scored by the Gladiators last season spanned 2:26 on Mar. 6 at South Carolina. 

Power Play: The Gladiators have used the power play to great effect to start the 2022-23 season. Atlanta ranks fifth in the ECHL at 29.2% on the power play and is tied for the league lead with seven power-play markers. Only Wichita (25) and Iowa (27) have succeeded in drawing more power plays than the Gladiators (24) this season. Mike Pelech and Reece Vitelli are tied for the team lead with two power-play goals each while Kameron Kielly leads all Gladiators with four power-play points (all assists). Atlanta was 3-for-5 on the power play against Orlando on Sunday.

Killin' It: Atlanta’s penalty kill has been suffocating to start the season by allowing just one power-play goal in fifteen opportunities against throughout the first four games. The Gladiators were a perfect 4-for-4 on the kill on Sunday against Orlando and netted a shorthanded goal, courtesy of Noah Laaouan. Atlanta is one of 11 teams to have already recorded a shorthanded tally this season.