Jacksonville, FL – The Jacksonville Icemen defeated the Atlanta Gladiators 2-1 at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena on Saturday night in the final game of the Gladiators four game road trip. 

The Gladiators looked to bounce back after a 1-0 shutout loss in North Charleston to the Stingrays on Friday night. T.J. Semptimphelter made back-to-back starts for the Gladiators after stopping 21/22 against South Carolina. Cameron Rowe started between the pipes for the Icemen.

Atlanta got off to a hot start, outshooting the Icemen early. Their hard work paid off, as 5:17 into the first period, Joey Cipollone scored his third goal of the year to put the Gladiators up 1-0. Cipollone stole the puck at center ice and drove toward the net firing a shot on Rowe that was initially stopped. Cipollone would not be denied, finding the rebound and  slamming it in for the score. The Gladiators have a pair of chances on the power play in the first period but were unable to add to their lead. After one period, Atlanta led 1-0 and led the shot count 9-3.

Jacksonville bettered their efforts in the second period and found the back of the net as a result. Ryan Pitoscia gathered the puck at the far circle and rifled a shot far side on Semptimphelter for his first professional goal to tie the game at 1-1, 4:06 into the middle frame. The Icemen had three chances on the power play while the Gladiators had one, but neither team was able to take advantage of the opportunities and score. After two periods the game was tied at 1-1, with the Gladiators leading the shot count 14-11.

In the opening moments of the third period, the Icemen scored their second goal of the night and the eventual game winner. Moments before, Semptimphelter made a leaping save moving from left to right to rob Dalton Duhart and keep the game tied. However, 3:33 into the third, Duhart found the back of the net punching in a rebound to give Jacksonville the lead. Despite Atlanta’s best efforts, Rowe kept the door shut as the Icemen held on for the 2-1 victory. Semptimphelter was sensational again stopping 23/25, but with Rowe stopping 25/26 the Icemen were able to do just enough to escape with a win. Atlanta went 0/3 on the power play and 4/4 on the penalty kill in the loss.

The Gladiators fall to 8-3 on the season with the loss and went 2-2 on the road trip. Atlanta will head home to take on Greenville on Saturday night for Glads Fight Cancer Night at Gas South Arena. The Glads will wear specialty jerseys honoring those battling cancer or who have lost the fight. Puck drop is set for 7:10 PM EST, get your tickets at atlantagladiators.com.