No love lost: The visiting Greenville Swamp Rabbits rumble with the Atlanta Gladiators in a key division game the day before Valentine's Day, as the Glads prevail 4-2

Preview: Greenville Swamp Rabbits (15-21-32-/41 points/7th place in the ECHL South/12th in the ECHL Eastern Conference) vs Atlanta Gladiators (20-22-4-2/46 points/5th place in the ECHL South/8th in the ECHL Eastern Conference)

On the day before the loveliest day of the year (Valentine's Day), the Atlanta Gladiators are gearing up for the 3rd period of the season (the last 1/3 of the schedule). Including tonight's division tilt (February 13, 2025 at 7pm EST at the Gas South District) against the Greenville Swamp Rabbits, the Glads have 24 games left (9 home/15 road) to makeup a 13 point deficit for the 4th playoff spot in their division (as the ECHL South is arguably the most competitive division in the league).

They host a familiar foe and division rival, as the Swamp Rabbits would truly love to derail the Glads' drive to the ECHL playoffs. Their offense is led by Bryce Brodzinski (13 goals/20 assists/33 points) and Parker Berge (6 goals/24 assists/30 points) as they average 2.6 goals per game. They'll look to ramp up their offensive efforts against Atlanta goaltender Drew DeRidder (6-11-4-1 with 2 shutouts/3.00 goals allowed average/.905 save percentage) and challenge a defense allowing 3.3 goals per game.

The Gladiators look to have an above-average game on offense as they are scoring 2.6 goals per game. Leading scorers Cody Sylvester (18 goals/17 assists/35 points) and Derek Neiley (11 goals/19 assists/30 points) are scratches for tonight's game, so Derek Topatigh (6 goals/24 assists/30 points) is expected to lead the offensive charge. Swamp Rabbits' goaltender Dryden McRay (11-16-3-1 with 2 shutouts/3.00 goals allowed average/.909 save percentage) looks to hold serve and lead a defense allowing 3.4 goals per game.

A division game at a critical time of the season the day before Valentine's Day?

Clearly, there's no love lost between the teams.

Game recap: The Glads' 3rd period effort helps them overcome the Swamp Rabbits' power play and earn a 4-2 win.

Despite outshooting the Swamp Rabbits by a 14 to 9 margin in the 1st period, the Glads find themselves trailing 1-0 as Bryce Brodzinski's 14th goal of the season (10:53 in the 1st period on the power play, assisted by John Parker-Jones and Quinn Olson) gives Greenville an early lead.

Early in the 2nd period, Atlanta evens the score at 1 thanks to Connor Galloway's 3rd goal of the season (3:35 in the 2nd period assisted by Jeremy Hanzel and Chad Nychuk).

In the midst of some physical play beyond the whistle by both teams, the Swamp Rabbits would retake the lead (2-1) as Bryce Brodzinski scores his 2nd goal of the game and 15th of the season (8:37 in the 2nd period) on another power play opportunity (assisted by Stuart Rolofs and Brent Pedersen).

In a faster-paced 3rd period, the Glads' Michael Marchesan's 6th goal of the season (12:12 mark in the 3rd period assisted by Anthony Firriolo) gets them back in the game (tied at 2).

Inside the last 2 minutes of the 3rd period (18:06), a dramatic goal scored by the Glads' Dominiks Marcinkevics (his 2nd of the year/unassisted) gives the team their first lead of the game (3-2). In a desperate attempt to even the score, the Swamp Rabbits pull the goalie for an extra skater, but the Glads seal the deal on an empty net goal by Dylan Carabia (his 1st of the season assited by Carson Denomie at the 19:13 mark of the 3rd period) for a much needed 4-2 win.

Atlanta's edge in shots on goal (36 to 28) offset Greenville's advantage on the power play (2 for 3 for the Swamp Rabbits compared to 0 for 2 for the Gladiators). Drew DeRidder's solid effort in goal (26 saves on 28 shots) is integral to the team win against a bitter division rival.

A simply lovely outcome on the day before Valentine's Day.

Notes: All photos and video are recorded via CCS. You may watch and subscribe to our season playlist (click HERE). The Glads embark on a 5-game road trip (February 16-23, 2025) before returning home on March 1-2, 2025 for Hockey Heritage weekend as they'll don the Atlanta Thrashers jerseys for a 2-game series against another division rival, the Savannah Ghost Pirates (at the Gas South District).