DULUTH, Ga. � In the first sell-out in team history with 11,355 fans, the Gwinnett Gladiators scored three first period goals to cruise past the Mississippi Sea Wolves 6-1 at the Arena at Gwinnett Center.
�Give the Gladiators credit,� Mississippi coach Bob Woods said. �Gwinnett came out flying before a sell-out crowd and we couldn�t recover. We have a lot of things to work out and it comes from the players.�
Gwinnett (4-0-3, 11 points) got rolling at the 10:39 mark. With the Sea Wolves� Bobby Cunningham in the penalty box for charging, Chris Durno got a slot shot through Matt Underhill, who was making his Mississippi debut. Durno�s goal was his second of the season. Jeff Campbell and Jim Jackson picked up helpers.
Just 18 seconds later, Adam Smyth, who was making his Gladiators debut, fed Cam Brown, who converted on a 2-on-1 break with a backhand that squeaked past Underhill for his fifth of the campaign.
The Gladiators made it 3-0 in the first period at 14:10, as Mike Vigilante tallied his fourth of the year, assisted by Dave McCulloch.
Mississippi (3-4-0, 6 points) picked up its tempo in the second period. Jeff Hutchins beat goaltender T.J. Aceti for his third of the year at 3:58, assisted by Travis Lisabeth and Mike Martone.
Gwinnett regained its three goal lead at 8:16. Joe Bourne scored his first of the year on a shot that eluded Underhill with a shot from the top of the right circle. Kris Goodjohn also garnered an assist.
In the third, the Gladiators received goals from Brett Engelhardt and Vigilante, who tallied his second of the game.
Gwinnett's Brown registered four penalty minutes to tie Brian Goudie for the all-time ECHL penalty minutes lead at 2,253.
Additional notes: Atlanta Thrashers head coach Bob Hartley joined the Sea Wolves team for lunch. Mississippi head coach Bob Woods and associate coach Steffon Walby both played for Hartley with the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League, where all three were part of the 1997 Calder Cup Championship team.
Mississippi failed to convert on two power play chances, while Gwinnett went 1-for-4 with the man advantage. Gladiators outshot the Sea Wolves 36-21.
The Sea Wolves return home to host the Gladiators at 7:35 p.m. tomorrow at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum. Promotions consist of $2 hotdogs and $2 drafts from 6:30-8:30 p.m., a pregame and postgame performance by True Worshippers and it�s also Cellular South / WXXV Fox 25 Honor Roll Night, offering two free kids coupons for each Honor Roll student in Hancock, Harrison, Jackson and Stone Counties. In addition, there is a postgame party at Treasure Bay Casino.
Individual tickets for tomorrow�s game can be purchased at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum box office, all Ticketmaster locations, by calling (228) 594-3707 and online at ticketmaster.com.
Season ticket packages, flex packs, discounted groups tickets and fundraiser opportunities are available by calling (228) 275-WOLF or online at msseawolves.com.
--- Box Score ---
SCORE BY PERIODS
Mississippi 0 1 0--1
Gwinnett 3 1 2--6
FIRST PERIOD -- Scoring: 1, Gwinnett-Durno 2 (power play) (Jackson;
Campbell) 10:39. 2, Gwinnett-Brown 5 (game winner) (Smith) 10:57. 3,
Gwinnett-Vigilante 4 (McCulloch) 14:10. Penalties: Hutchins, MIS (Roughing), 2:31. Smith, GWT (Unsportsmanlike Cond), 2:31. Hutchins,
MIS (Cross checking), 6:44. Cunningham, MIS (Charging), 9:42. Cava,
MIS (Fighting, Major), 11:08. Smith, GWT (Fighting, Major), 11:08.
Flache, GWT (Hooking), 12:10. Ellis-Toddington, MIS (Roughing),
15:55. Lisabeth, MIS (Cross checking), 16:46.
SECOND PERIOD -- Scoring: 4, Mississippi-Hutchins 3 (Lisabeth; Martone)
3:58. 5, Gwinnett-Bourne 1 (Goodjohn) 8:16. Penalties: Martone, MIS
(Holding), 0:45.
THIRD PERIOD -- Scoring: 6, Gwinnett-Engelhardt 4 (Schell; Brown)
6:07. 7, Gwinnett-Vigilante 5 (Schell) 13:29. Penalties: Brown, GWT
(High sticking, Double minor), 1:49.
SHOTS ON GOAL
Mississippi 2 11 8�21
Gwinnett 14 10 12--36
Power Play Conversions: Mississippi - 0 of 2, Gwinnett - 1 of 4.
Goalies: Mississippi-Underhill (36 shots, 30 saves; record: 0-1-0).
Gwinnett-Aceti (21 shots, 20 saves; record: 3-0-0).
A: 11355. Referee: Banfield. Linesmen: Wicklum; Tyson.
