Greenville, SC – The Atlanta Gladiators returned to action on Friday night at Bon Secours Wellness Arena against the Greenville Swamp Rabbits, earning their first win of the 2026 calendar year with a 7-4 win, improving to 20-6 on the campaign.

The Gladiators took on the Greenville Swamp Rabbits in the 7^th meeting of the season between the two clubs on Friday night. Ethan Haider got the start between the pipes for Atlanta, while Matias Sholl started in net for Greenville. 

Atlanta began the game with an early four-minute power play that resulted in the first goal with the team for newly acquired defenseman Nolan Orzeck. Orzeck scored on the power play from Jack Matier and Ryan Francis to open the scoring. The Gladiators struck again 7:21 into the period as Peter Morgan found Zach Yoder cutting toward the net for Yoder’s first of the season. Morgan and Joey Cipollone earned assists on the goal. Greenville responded with a goal of their own a little over two minutes later, as Patrick Polino scored 9:47 into the game, putting in a rebound off of a slap shot from Cam Hausinger that Haider initially saved. Polino’s goal made it a 2-1 game, and shortly afterward, Ryley Appelt and John Parker-Jones fought to give the game more action. Atlanta ripped another past Sholl with 7.4 seconds left in the period to make it 3-1. Brendan Less fired in his first of the season and first as a Gladiator from Mickey Burns and Ryan Nolan to give Atlanta a 3-1 lead after one period. Greenville outshot Atlanta 20-11 in the first – setting a new season high for shots against the Gladiators in a single period this season.

 Both teams scored three goals each in the second period, as Josh Atkinson scored on an odd-man rush for Greenville 2:50 into the period to make it 3-2. Atlanta responded with Alex Young’s eighth of the season, a  top shelf shot assisted by Zach Yoder 4:03 into the middle frame to make it 4-2 Gladiators. Atlanta extended its lead to three just 1:02 later, as Carson Denomie fired in a rebound off of a Joey Cipollone shot to make it 5-2. Chad Nychuk earned an assist on the goal as well. The Swamp Rabbits came roaring back, scoring the next two, as Ryan O’Reilly scored from Keaton Mastrodonato and Brent Pedersen 7:01 into the period, followed by a score from Mastrodonato from Jake Murray and Pedersen to make it 5-4 with 5:26 left in the middle frame. Later on, Mastrodonato and Less fought as tempers continued to flare. Jack O’Brien, in his first game as a Gladiator, scored his first goal with the club from Cipollone and Orzeck to make it 6-4 Atlanta with 3:06 left in the period. Altanta took that score to the locker room, having been outshot 34-23 through two periods.

In stark contrast to what the first two periods brought, the third period featured only one goal – and empty netter from Alex Young with 2:08 left in regulation. The Gladiators were able to win the offensive duel and win their fourth straight game to improve to 20-6 on the season. Ethan Haider made a career high 41 saves, stopping 41/45 for his 10^th win of the season. With a goal and an assist, Keaton Mastrodonato was named the third star of the game. Joey Cipollone finished with three assists earning second star honors, while the first star of the night was Alex Young with two goals. Atlanta went 1/4 on the power play and 1/1 on the penalty kill in the win.

The Gladiators return home on Saturday, January 3^rd for Star Wars Night at Gas South Arena. Click HERE to purchase a ticket package that includes a Gladiators themed Light Sword and join the battle!