By Libby White

Duluth, GA- The Atlanta Gladiators suffered a heartbreaking 4-3 loss to the South Carolina Stingrays on Tuesday night at Gas South Arena as Romain Rodzinski scored with just 28 seconds remaining and a potential game-tying goal in the final second was waved off after review that deemed the play was offside.

The Atlanta Gladiators got off to a fast start Tuesday night, striking just 1:17 into the opening period as Jack O’Brien found the back of the net off assists from Josh Davies and Alex Young. The goal marked the Gladiators’ first playoff goal at Gas South Arena in eight years, giving Atlanta an early 1-0 advantage and immediate momentum. Recently moved from the fourth line to the top line, Josh Davies made an immediate impact, contributing to the opening goal and continuing to show strong presence early.

Tensions picked up about midway through the period when Ryan Conroy and Patrick Guzzo were both assessed roughing penalties at the 12:42 mark, resulting in four-on-four play. South Carolina responded late in the period, as Stanley Cooley scored with 2:46 to play, assisted by D.J. King and Connor Moore, making the score an even 1-1.

The Gladiators had a late power play opportunity with 1:36 on the clock following a slashing penalty on Ben Hawerchuk but were unable to capitalize before the end of the period. Both teams finished the period tied 1-1, with nine shots on goal each. Atlanta could not find the net on the remaining 24 seconds of power play time that carried over from the first period, keeping the game tied at the start of the second period.

Shortly after beginning the second period, tempers flared and tensions erupted as a series of penalties were assessed at the 15:13 mark. Stingrays’ Reilly Webb and Romain Rodzinski, and Gladiators’ Brendan Less and Ryan Conroy were each given double minors for roughing, while Josh Davies was assessed a boarding penalty. The sequence resulted in a power play opportunity for South Carolina, but the Gladiators’ penalty kill held strong to keep the game tied.

South Carolina came in late in the period, as D.J. King scored with 2:03 left in the period with assists from Nolan Krenzen and Josh Wilkins, giving South Carolina a 2-1 lead and marking the first time Atlanta trailed on the night.

Despite the late goal from the Stingrays, the Gladiators continued to generate offense, outshooting the Stingrays 10-8 in the second period. 

Atlanta came out strong in the third period, quickly tying the game as Alex Young scored just 1:09 into the period off a pass from Josh Davies to make it a 2-2 game.

The momentum was short lived, as South Carolina scored 6:19 in with a goal from Charlie Combs, assisted by Connor Moore, to regain a 3-2 lead. Tensions escalated once again shortly after, with Josh Davies and Stevie Leskovar both given double minor penalties for roughing.

The Gladiators were given an opportunity to even the score with a power play following a cross-checking penalty on Ben Hawerchuk with 10:07 remaining but came up empty handed. One final power play chance came with 2:31 to go after Reilly Webb was called for tripping.

Atlanta took advantage of the late opportunity, as Chad Nychuk scored with just 1:05 remaining, assisted by Austin Roest, tying the game at 3-3 and igniting Gas South Arena.

However, the Stingrays responded in dramatic fashion, as Romain Rodzinski scored with just 28 seconds left to give South Carolina a 4-3 lead.

In the final second, Chad Nychuk appeared to tie the game with a Hail Mary shot that found the net, but the goal was waved off after review due to the play being called offside, causing the arena to surge with fans disapproval of the call and sealing the 4-3 victory for South Carolina.

The Gladiators outshot South Carolina 32-27 in this game, 13-10 in the third period.

Facing elimination, Atlanta will return to action for Game 5 on Friday, May 1st at the North Charleston Coliseum. Puck drop is set for 7:05 PM EDT, fans can watch the game live on FloHockey or listen in on the Gladiators YouTube channel.

###