The Atlanta Gladiators showed signs of life in a back-and-forth slugfest, earning them a 3-1 victory over the Jacksonville Icemen and a well-deserved 12th win.
On Sunday, a Margarittaville-themed day drew a relatively large crowd. Luau-themed jerseys and rainbow-colored leis littered Gas South Arena, and the crowd seemed into it early on with cheers of “Let’s go Glads,” but the woes that have plagued Atlanta all season reared their ugly head early. The Jacksonville Icemen scored less than a minute into the game, and Mitch Fossier tried to answer, but a high-sticking penalty wiped away the goal. Brutal.
Thankfully, some excellent goal work by Brad Barone kept Atlanta within arm’s reach. The Glads kept shooting away, and despite having another goal wiped out, they eventually got up to 11 shots on goal. That persistence paid off as Robert Calisti and Jackson Pierson found Cody Sylvester for a goal just before the end of the first period.
Midway into the second period, it’s still tied but getting very physical and chippy. Several players end up on the ice, and lots of pushing and shoving has the crowd reacting. At this point, fatigue is likely setting in, but neither team is budging, including a masterclass by Barone, who’s had some timely and intuitive saves.
The third period is much of the same: physical play and stellar defense. The chippiness from both teams lands an Icemen in the penalty box, giving the Glads a huge opportunity to score, but they couldn’t capitlaize. However, Jack Matier came like lightning with less than nine minutes to play and scored a beautiful goal that warranted a big celebration from the crowd and fist bumps from his teammates.
Chip. Chip. Chip. The Glads kept fighting amid a fury of advances from the Icemen, but fatigue set in, and the Glads made them pay. After two missed chances to score on a no-goalie net, Reece Vitelli took the rook off Gas South Arena with a last-minute goal that slammed the door shut and gave Atlanta the win.
For head coach Derek Nesbitt, that was the grittiest win the team has produced in quite some time. They desperately needed to find the spark that helped them jump out to an undefeated start to the season. The Glads have to find a way to build on that. They have the talent. They just need to bring the heat.
Hall About Sports 