PREVIEW: 'Believe in Blueland' has Arrived

WHEN: Friday, Dec. 16 - 7:00 PM

WHERE: Gas South Arena - Duluth, Ga.

WHO: Atlanta Thrashers vs Greenville Swamp Rabbits

PROMOTION:Blueland is BACK! Join the Gladiators as they take the ice as the Atlanta Thrashers. The team will be wearing limited edition Thrashers jerseys that will be auctioned off after the game. Make sure you come early and grab your Thrashers T-shirt, puck and rally towel. Enter a raffle for a chance to win a Thrashers jersey! RAFFLE

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 take the ice as the Atlanta Thrashers tonight in a special ‘Believe in Blueland’ night of nostalgia. Tonight is the fourth meeting of the season between Atlanta and Greenville. The Glads have won two of the previous three engagements, including a 3-2 road victory in the most recent matchup on Dec. 3. Atlanta and Greenville are tied in the South Division standings with 27 points each, with the winner tonight jumping ahead on the leaderboard.

Scouting the Swamp Rabbits: Greenville is led by Nikita Pavlychev (14G-10A) and Alex Ierullo (7G-17A) up front with 24 points each. Pavlychev has seven points in his last four games, and Ierullo has points in his last four contests. The Swamp Rabbits recently traded for goaltender Ryan Bednard who has a 1.82 goals-against average and .948 save percentage between Greenville and Wheeling this season. 

Real Deal Neils: Eric Neiley is as hot as anyone in the ECHL. The fifth-year Gladiator tabbed a power-play goal on Wednesday against South Carolina and now has scored seven goals in his last five games. The alternate captain has racked up 10 points (7G-3A) in those last five contests. Neiley leads the club with 20 points (12G-8A), 12 goals, and ranks first with seven multi-point games. Neiley compiled seven multi-point efforts in 48 games last season with Atlanta, including a four-point night on Mar. 4 at Norfolk. The forward’s five-game goal streak is tied for the longest active run in the ECHL. 

Power Play Powering Up: The Glads are rolling on the power play entering tonight’s action. After going 1-for-3 in Wednesday’s loss to South Carolina, Atlanta has scored power-play goals in their last four games and are 6-for-17 on the man advantage in those last four contests. The Glads have been consistent both at home and on the road on the power play. Atlanta’s home power play ranks eighth at 25.0% while the road mark is fifth in the ECHL at 23.5%. Eric Neiley leads the entire ECHL with seven power-play goals, while Derek Topatigh ranks second in the league with 11 power-play assists. Atlanta has scored three power-play goals in two separate games this season, most recently on Dec. 10 against the Orlando Solar Bears.

Planet Pelech: Veteran Mike Pelech needs just six points to pass Trevor Jobe and jump into fourth place in all-time ECHL points. Pelech currently has 630 ECHL points (194G-436A) in his 14th professional season on his 10th ECHL team. The forward is also 25 assists away from second place all time in the ECHL.