Gladiators Down Sea Wolves, 6-4

DULUTH - Jim Jackson notched a goal and a pair of assists while Dirk Southern pushed his point scoring streak to eight games, helping the Gladiators to a 6-4 win over the Mississippi Sea Wolves on Friday night at the Arena at Gwinnett Center.

Gwinnett improved to 8-1-0 on the season continuing their best start in team history.

Derek Nesbitt gave the Gladiators a 1-0 lead on the Mississippi Sea Wolves with just 34 seconds left in the first period with his 7th goal of the season. Picking up a rebound in the slot, Nesbitt whipped the puck past Mississippi netminder Morgan Cey for the marker. Jimmy Jackson collected an assist on the goal as he took the initial shot, setting up the rebound opportunity for Nesbitt.

Gwinnett took a 2-0 lead on Jackson's 3rd goal of the season. Picking up a rebound along the goal line, Jackson beat Cey on a second chance in front of the Mississippi net for the marker. Nesbitt and Jon Awe had the assists on the goal for the Gladiators at the 6:14 mark of the second period. The marker came on a delayed penalty call against the Sea Wolves.

Mississippi got on the board at the 15:36 mark of the second period, as Lance Monych found a loose puck in the left wing circle and fired the puck through traffic past Gladiators netminder Dan Turple for the marker. Mark Hurtubise and Travis Lisabeth had the assists on the power play goal for Mississippi. The marker came with Cey on the bench in favor of an extra attacker due to a delayed penalty upcoming to Gwinnett.

Dirk Southern extended his point-scoring streak to eight games with his fourth goal of the season. Parked in the slot, Southern took a centering feed from Mike Hamilton out of the corner and beat Cey for the goal. Jamie Milam also had an assist on the power play goal for Gwinnett at the 3:37 mark for the Gladiators.

Mississippi answered with their second goal of the game just 66 seconds later and they were able to jam the puck past Turple in a pile up in front of the Gwinnett net. Gio Flamminio and Monych posted the assists on the goal for the Sea Wolves.

Marek Kvapil tied the game at three goals apiece at the 8:04 mark of the third period. Taking a pass in the slot, Kvapil beat Turple from point-blank range for the marker. Radek Smolenak and Chase Trull posted the assists on the goal for Mississippi.

Lou Dickenson got the lead back for Gwinnett, finishing a 2-on-1 break with Mike Hamilton just 1:59 later. Dickenson beat Cey to the short side for the goal. Jamie Milam moved the puck up the right wing to Hamilton to set up the play.

Chad Painchaud's first goal of the season at the 11:31 mark of the third period pushed the Gladiators lead to two goals. Another 2-on-1 break, Painchaud took a rink wide pass from Bryson Busniuk and beat Cey for the marker. Jim Jackson also had an assist on the goal for Gwinnett.

Travis Lisabeth got Mississippi back within a goal at with 1:32 left in the third period, pushing the puck and Turple into the Gwinnett net. Matt Deschamps and Ryan Menei notched the assists on the goal for the Sea Wolves.

Despite pulling Cey in favor of an extra attacker with over a minute and a half left in the contest, the Sea Wolves could get no closer. Colton Fretter's first goal of the season into an empty net with 45 seconds left in the game put the contest away. Fretter's marker came unassisted for Gwinnett.

Turple finished with 25 saves for the Gladiators in the win, while Gwinnett went 2-for-7 on the power play.


The Gladiators continue their fifth anniversary season on Saturday, November 10th as they host the Texas Wildcatters at the Arena at Gwinnett Center at 7:35 p.m. Catch all the play-by-play action in Friday's game via Accessnorthga.com audio stream channel 3.

Celebrating its 20th Anniversary as the Premier 'AA' Hockey League in 2007-08, the ECHL began in 1988-89 with five teams in three states and has grown to be a coast-to-coast league that has 25 teams in 17 states and British Columbia in 2007-08. The 25 teams includes the Mississippi (Biloxi) Sea Wolves, who return after missing two seasons in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and the expansion Elmira (N.Y.) Jackals. The ECHL will play 900 games beginning Oct. 18 and concluding Apr. 5.

The Gwinnett Gladiators continue their fifth season as a proud member of the ECHL - season ticket packages are on sale now. In addition, the Gladiators offer several unique multi-game ticket packages as well as discounted group rates, suite rentals, and birthday parties. For more information call 770-497-5100 or log on to gwinnettgladiators.com.

The Gladiators are the AA affiliate of the Atlanta Thrashers and play all home games at the spectacular 11,355-seat Arena at Gwinnett Center, located just off I-85 on Sugarloaf Parkway in Duluth, where parking is always free.