Greenville, SC – The Greenville Swamp Rabbits defeated the Atlanta Gladiators 2-1 on Saturday night at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in the first game of a 3 in 3 between the two South Division rivals.
T.J. Semptimphelter started in net for the Gladiators, as Isaiah Saville got the nod between the pipes for the Swamp Rabbits in the 8th meeting of the season between the two clubs. Atlanta had won the prior six meetings coming into the matchup.
The first period produced no goals, and saw the Gladiators kill off a boarding minor to Dyan Carabia to keep the game tied. Atlanta had a few good scoring opportunities but could not solve Saville. The shot count favored Greenville 9-7 after the opening frame.
Play opened up a bit in the second period, as Greenville opened the scoring with a tip-in goal from Remy Parker 1:33 into the period. Parker’s third goal of the year was assisted by Josh Atkinson and Keaton Mastrodonato to give the Swamp Rabbits a 1-0 lead. Cody Sylvester tied the game 5:04 into the middle frame, firing in a rebound off of a Dylan Carabia shot to make it a 1-1 game. Sylvester’s goal was his 350th point in his ECHL career. Later on in the period, the Swamp Rabbits scored on the power play with what would end up being the game winning goal, as Cam Hausinger scored from Mastrodonato and Ryan O’Hara to make it a 2-1 game with 3:37 left in the middle frame. Saville left the game with 2:24 left in the second period due to an equipment issue and was replaced by Mattias Sholl who stopped 2/2 before Saville returned for the start of the third period. Despite their best efforts, the Gladiators were held off the board in the final frame which ultimately wound up scoreless, losing their third straight game, 2-1 to Greenville.
With the loss, Atlanta fell to 21-9 on the season. The Gladiators went 0/2 on the power play and 2/3 on the penalty kill. Semptimphelter stopped 31/33 in the loss. Atlanta will look to get back to their winning ways at home as the final two games of the three-game set will be played at Gas South Arena on Sunday and Monday afternoon. Join the Glads for the country themed Frosty Boots & Country Roots game on Sunday at 3:00 PM and the Sensory Friendly Game on Monday at 1:00 PM by getting your tickets HERE!
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