Third Period comeback lifts Glads over Blades, 3-1

DULUTH - Mike Vigilante notched the game-winning goal with 1:34 left in the third period, while Derek Nesbitt collected three points to help the Gwinnett Gladiators to a 3-1 win over the Florida Everblades on Thursday night at the Arena at Gwinnett Center. With the win, the Gladiators leap over the idle Augusta Lynx as well as the Everblades into sole possession of second place with 27 points. Gwinnett improves to 13-5-1 on the year with the win.

Both Gladiators netminder Craig Kowalski and Everblades netminder Justin Peters kept the game scoreless thorugh the first period with 20 and 12 saves respectively in the period.

Florida broke a scoreless tie in the second period as Mike MacLean took an outlet pass along the Gwinnett blue line behind a pair of Gladiators defenseman and beat Kowalksi on a breakway just 3:27 into the period. Kirk MacDonald posted the assist on the goal for the Everblades.

Trailing after two periods, Gwinnett posted its second consecutive third period comeback. In addition, Florida entered the game with a 10-0-0 record when leading after two period, but the Gladiators became the first team this season to record a third period comeback over the Everblades. Gwinnett posted all three goals for the win in the final period.

Jamie Milam got the Gladiators on the board with his seventh goal of the season on the power play. Milam ripped a one-time slapshot past Peters just 5:22 into the third period off a feed from Jeff Campbell for the marker. Derek Nesbitt also had an assist on the power play goal for Gwinnett.

Vigilante then posted the game winner for Gwinnett with just 1:34 left in the third period, ripping a slap shot from the left wing circle through the five-hole of Peters for the marker. Nesbitt was able to pull the puck off the wall and feed Vigilante who moved into the Florida zone to collect an assist on the goal. Campbell also had a helper for Gwinnett on the marker.

Nesbitt put the nail in the coffin on the Everblades with an empty net marker with just 52 seconds left in the third period. Nesbitt took a rink-wide pass from Vigilante and flicked the puck into the open net from the Florida blueline for the goal.

After giving up 20 first period shots, Gwinnett held the Everblades to just 9 shots over the final two period as Kowalski finished with 28 saves for Gwinnett in the win. The Gladiators went 1-for-3 on the power play in the victory.