DULUTH, Ga. - The Atlanta Gladiators (19-20-3-2) defeated the Bloomington Bison (19-19-1-2) on Saturday night, by a final score of 3-1, at Gas South Arena, in Duluth, Georgia.
Drew DeRidder got the nod for the third straight game in the net for the Gladiators, while Brian Wilson started in goal for the Bison.
After a scoreless first period, the Glads scored at 4:13 of the second. Patriks Marcinkevics (6th) slapped in a strike from far circle after a fabulous feed from Blake Murray, giving the Gladiators a 1-0 lead.
A bit later in the second period, Bison Captain Eddie Matsushima (17th) tied the game with a crisp wrist shot to the left corner of the net, tying the contest at one.
Just two minutes later, Cody Sylvester (16th) skated into the zone onside, and sniped a wrist shot over the shoulder of Brian Wilson.
In the waning moments of regulation time, Michael Marchesan (5th) netted a backhanded shot following a clean dish from Randy Hernandez. The goal put the game away for the Gladiators, resulting in the final score of 3-1.
Drew DeRidder made 32 saves on 33 shots in the win for the Gladiators, while Brian Wilson made 35 saves on 38 shots in the loss for the Bison.
On tonight's game compared to last night, assistant coach Matt Ginn said, "Last night I thought our first two periods were okay, but we were lifeless and had low energy in the third. To be honest, we got ran off the rink, and it was admittedly tough to look back on. Tonight, our compete level was way better, we won a lot more battles, we were physical, and those are the areas of the game you need to do well in order to win games."
The Gladiators conclude their three game set with Bloomington tomorrow afternoon, at 3PM.
Check out the highlights of tonight's game, below!
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