DULUTH, Ga. The Atlanta Gladiators (16-25-2-0) were bested by the South Carolina Stingrays (25-15-2-0) in a 4-0 loss Saturday night.
First Star: Garin Bjorklund (SC) - 36 saves, shutout
Second Star: Jack Adams (SC) - 2 goals
Third Star: Austin Magera (SC) - 1 goals
The Stingrays drew first blood as Nick Leivermann scored on the power play, rifling the puck from the slot past the outstretched blocker of Brad Barone to take the early 1-0 lead. (7:10)
The Gladiators struggled heavily on the offensive side of things, getting out shot 14-5 through the first 20 minutes.
Austin Magera doubled the Stingrays’ lead early in the middle frame after sniping the top left corner to extend the South Carolina advantage to 2-0. (0:44)
South Carolina would pad their cushion even further after Jack Adams cashed in on a backdoor feed to put his team up 3-0 late in the second period. (18:05)
The Stingrays added on a fourth goal in the third period as Adams struck again to put the game on ice with a 4-0 lead. (12:24)
The Gladiators comeback efforts were ultimately snuffed by Garin Bjorklund and company, securing the shutout win as time expired.
Barone finished the night with 35 saves off 39 South Carolina shots while his netminding counterpart Bjorklund earned perfection, denying all 36 Atlanta shots.
The Glads will be back in action on Sunday at 3PM in a weekend rematch with the Stingrays.
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