With the win, the first round playoff picture for the Gladiators finally becomes clear. Gwinnett finishes the season in third place and with the Charlotte loss, Charlotte will finish in sixth place pitting these same two teams against one another in the first round.
Gwinnett will host the first two games in the series starting with game one on Tuesday April 8 at 7:05pm.
The Gladiators struck first in the contest with an even-strength goal from Bryson Busniuk just over a minute into the game. Skating across the Charlotte blue line, Andy Brandt dropped off a pass to Busniuk who pulled up at the top of the left wing circle and fired a shot over Charlotte goaltender Mike Ayer's glove side and into the top corner of the net for the marker. Brandt picked up a helper on the goal, Busniuk's eighth of the season, as Gwinnett went up 1-0.
Charlotte evened the contest at one at the 5:32 mark of the period on an even-strength marker from Adam Nightingale. Nightingale took a shot from the doorstep that bounced off of Gwinnett goaltender Dan Turple's leg and trickled out in front of the net. Nightingale was able to grab his own rebound and jam the puck home for the goal. Bruce Graham and Mark Lee got assists on the goal.
Gwinnett took back the lead less than a minute later on Andy Brandt's eighteenth marker of the year. Skating down the left wing, Busniuk took a shot that bounced off of a cluster of bodies in front of the goal and right to Andy Brandt. From the right wing circle, Brandt flicked the puck past Ayers for the marker and the 2-1 Gwinnett lead. Busniuk got the assist on the even-strength goal coming at the 6:05 mark of the first period.
The Gladiators added another goal at the 12:31 mark of the period on a power play goal from Jeff Campbell. With Gwinnett on a man-advantage and cycling the puck, Jamie Milam took a shot from the point that hit Ayers square in the chest and ricocheted to Campbell at the left wing face-off dot. Campbell collected the puck and zipped a shot over Ayers' left shoulder and into the back of the Charlotte net for the marker to give Gwinnett a 3-1 lead.
Brad Schell gave the Gladiators a 4-1 lead early in the second period with a power play goal at the 37 second point of the middle stanza. With Gwinnett on a man advantage from a penalty at the end of the first period, Schell threw the puck along the goal line at the Charlotte net. The puck rattled off the back of Ayers and found its way into the net for the marker. Painchaud and Milam picked up helpers on the goal, Schell's eighth of the season.
The scoring was all but at an end, but the action was not as tensions flared between these two teams that will meet in the first round of this year's Kelly Cup playoffs. Skirmishes at the end of the second period and the third period kept the Arena at Gwinnett Center crowd of 8,222 on their feet as the Gladiators went on to take away the 4-1 win.
Dan Turple made 34 saves in the game and picked up the win pushing his record to 15-12-2-1 on the season.
The Gladiators continue their fifth anniversary season on Tuesday, April 8th as they host the Charlotte Checkers at the Arena at Gwinnett Center at 7:05 p.m. Catch all the play-by-play action in Tuesday's game online via AccessNorthGa.com on 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.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2008/4/208736