CHARLESTON - The Gwinnett Gladiators took the South Carolina Stingrays to overtime before dropping a 5-4 decision in Game 2 of the ECHL South Division Semifinals on Saturday night at the North Charleston Coliseum. With the loss, the Gladiators fall behind in the series 2-0 with Game 3 on Monday night at the Arena at Gwinnett Center.
Gwinnett took a 1-0 lead on the Stingrays just 26 seconds into the first period. Guillaume Desbiens notched the goal for Gwinnett on a bad angle shot from the right wing corner for his first goal of the post season. Fighting down the right wing, Desbiens threw the puck at Stingrays netminder Davis Parley from along the goal line for the unassisted goal.
South Carolina answered at 11:48 of the first period. Pierre-Luc O'Brien stole the puck from a Gladiators defenseman before feeding Todd Griffith for the goal. Griffith beat Gladiators netminder Craig Kowalski from point blank range for the marker for the Stingrays.
Matt Anderson regained the lead for Gwinnett with his 2nd goal of the post season. Right off an offensive zone face off, Mike Hamilton ripped a slap shot from the left wing circle that Anderson deflected past Parley for the marker. The goal came shorthaned for Gwinnett at 5:19 of the second period for Gwinnett.
South Carolina answered on the same power play that the Gladiators posted the shorthanded goal. Chris Chaput was able to find a loose puck behind the Gwinnett net and walk untouched into the slot before throwing the puck off of Kowalski and into the back of the net for the power play goal. Marty Guerin and Cail MacLean collected the assits on the goal for the Stingrays at 6:38 of the second period.
Trent Campbell gave South Carolina a 3-2 lead on the Gladiators with a breakaway goal at 16:25 of the second period. Slipping behind the Gladiators defense, Campbell took an outlet pass from Sean Collins and beat Kowalski to the blocker side for the marker. Parley also had an assist on the goal for the Stingrays.
Gwinnett tied the game at three on Anderson's second goal of the game. Anderson roofed the puck over the shoulder of Parley just 1:10 into the second period finishing a 3-on-2 break. Desbiens and Hamilton nothced the assists on the goal for Gwinnett.
South Carolina regained the lead at 7:49 of the third period. Travis Morin beat Kowalski over the shoulder on the power play from 10 feet out for the marker. MacLean and Guerin had the assits on the power play goal for the stingrays.
Tomas Pospisil tied the game at four with his second goal of the post season for the Gladiators. Parked in the slot, Pospisil flicked the puck over an outstretched Parley for the marker. Mike Hamilton and Ryan Mahrle had the assists on the goal for the Gladiators at 15:35 of the third period and send the game to overtime.
South Carolina posted the game winner at 8:06 of the overtime period. Nate Kiser pulled the puck off the dashers boards at the blue line and ripped a slapshot past Kowaslski from the right wing point for the marker. Kiser posted the goal unassisted for the Stingrays.
Kowalski notched 19 saves in the loss for the Gladiators. Gwinnett went 0-for-5 on the power play in the loss while South Carolina collected two power play goals on five chances in the win.
The Gladiators continue their fifth anniversary season in the 2008 Kelly Cup Playoffs with Game 3 of the ECHL South Division Semifinals on Monday, April 20th as they host the South Carolina Stingrays at the Arena at Gwinnett Center at 7:05 p.m. Catch all the play-by-play action in Monday's game online via Accessnorthga.com Audio Streaming 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.
Sunday
May 4th, 2025
11:02AM
