Gladiators Burn Inferno, 3-1

DULUTH - Jeff Campbell notched two assists to overtake Brad Schell as the Gladiators record holder for longest assist-scoring streak with twelve as the Gwinnett Gladiators bested the Columbia Inferno by a 3-1 score on Thursday night.

Tomas Pospisil's third goal of the season as a Gladiator was good for the game winner and Dan Turple turned in 21 saves to snap Gwinnett's two-game losing skid.

Columbia, though, got the scoring started early with a goal from Jeremy Hall just 47 seconds into the contest. Hall took a feed from Tyler Doig and beat Turple to the stick side for the marker. Patrick Wellar got credit for the second assist on the goal giving the Inferno and early 1-0 lead.

The Gladiators answered just over a minute later on Stuart MacRae's third goal of the season and second in as many games. MacRae took a pass from Jeff Mason as he crossed the blue line and walked into the slot where he fired a shot past the Columbia goaltender Jeff Jakaitis for the Gwinnett marker. Mason collected the assist on the goal, his sixth of the year on the marker at the 1:51 mark of the first period.

Tomas Pospisil broke the one-one tie quickly in the second period as he netted his third goal of the year just 15 seconds into the second stanza. Pospisil, in front of the goal, took a pass from Lou Dickenson and beat the Columbia netminder to the glove side for the marker. Along with Dickenson, Jeff Campbell picked up an assist on the play pushing his point-scoring streak to 12 games.

Andy Brandt padded the Gwinnett lead at the 18:27 mark of the second frame with his seventh goal of the season. Dickenson fed Campbell who joined Brandt on the breakaway. Campbell then shoveled a pass to Brandt at the top of the right wing circle and Brandt beat the Columbia netminder for the tally. Dickenson and Campbell each picked up their second helper of the night on the marker.

The teams played to a scoreless third period and Pospisil's goal held up for the Gwinnett win, pushing the Gladiators' record against the Inferno to 2-0-0 on the season while Gwinnett improves to 19-7-1 on the year.

The Gladiators continue their fifth anniversary season on Friday, December 28th as they travel to Augusta to battle the Lynx at 7:35 p.m.