DULUTH, Ga. � Despite a 17-hour trip due to the team bus breaking down, the Mississippi Sea Wolves collected goals from five different players and goaltender Matt Underhill made 29 saves to register his third shutout of the season in a 5-0 defeat of the Gwinnett Gladiators before 6,969 fans at the Arena at Gwinnett Center.
�It was a sweet victory at a tough building to play in,� said Mississippi's Bob Woods, who coached his 250th professional game improving his overall record to 147-84-19 for a .626 winning percentage. �The guys fought through adversity with the bus problems, but they didn�t let it affect their game. Now we have to get tougher to play against at home with Augusta coming in town on Friday.�
Mississippi (17-14-3, 37 points) came out flying to open the score just 28 seconds into action. Chris Cava and Mike Martone moved in on a 2-on-1 break and Martone finished it off by netting his first goal of the season beating goaltender Sean Fields from the slot. After taking the last three years to play university hockey in Canada, the goal for Martone was his first professional tally since March 9, 2001.
The Sea Wolves exploded in the second period. Anthony Battaglia tallied with a quick shot that bounced off the end boards to deposit his 12th goal of the campaign at the 10:51 mark. Nicolas Corbeil and Louis Dumont garnered assists.
Mississippi went up 3-0 on a goal with the man advantage. Mike Jarmuth wired a right circle shot into the top of the net for his sixth of the year at 13:10 set up by Kerry Ellis-Toddington and Corbeil.
Just 35 seconds later, Sea Wolves� Travis Lisabeth unleashed a wicked wrist shot to register his eighth marker of the season with assists going to Lucas Drake and Cava.
Gwinnett (18-12-4, 40 points) had a couple great opportunities in the middle stanza. Mike Stathopoulos and Chris Durno were denied by Matt Underhill, who made 22 saves through 40 minutes with Mississippi up 4-0.
In the third, Drake tallied a power-play goal, which was his fourth of the campaign set up by Corbeil and Battaglia at 6:17 to round out the scoring.
Additional note: It was Teddy Bear Toss Night at the Arena at Gwinnett Center and normally the fans would throw the bears after the home team scores its first goal of the game, but without a tally, the Gladiators fans were forced to toss the bears onto the ice at the end of the game.
Mississippi converted on 2-of-6 power play chances, while Gwinnett was blanked on seven man advantages. Gladiators outshot the Sea Wolves 29-26.
The Sea Wolves return home for their next game at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum at 7:35 p.m. on Friday against the Augusta Lynx. Promotions include Military 2-for-1, sponsored by Keesler Federal Credit Union, which offers all military personnel, active or retired, two tickets for the price of one by showing military identification at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum box office. It�s also Cellular South / WXXV Fox 25 Honor Roll Night, which gives each child in Hancock, Harrison, Jackson and Stone Counties a free coupon for making Honor Roll.
Individual tickets for Friday�s game can be purchased at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum box office, all Ticketmaster locations, by calling (228) 385-2600 and online at ticketmaster.com.
Watch the live web telecast for $6, courtesy of B2 Networks, online at msseawolves.com. Listen live on flagship radio station WGCM-AM 1240, or online at msseawolves.com, courtesy of Teamline.
Flex packs, discounted groups tickets, birthday packages and fundraiser opportunities are available by calling (228) 275-WOLF or online at msseawolves.com.
--- Box Score ---
SCORE BY PERIODS
Mississippi 1 3 1--5
Gwinnett 0 0 0--0
FIRST PERIOD -- Scoring: 1, Mississippi-Martone 1 (game winner) (Cava)
0:28. Penalties: Dumont, MIS (Tripping), 4:23. Schell, GWT (Holding),
14:02. Dumont, MIS (Tripping), 19:47.
SECOND PERIOD -- Scoring: 2, Mississippi-Battaglia 12 (Corbeil; Dumont)
10:51. 3, Mississippi-Jarmuth 6 (power play) (Ellis-Toddington;
Corbeil) 13:10. 4, Mississippi-Lisabeth 8 (Cava; Drake) 13:45.
Penalties: Brown, GWT (Interference), 3:33. Battaglia, MIS (Tripping),
4:11. Goodjohn, GWT (Unsportsmanlike Cond), 4:11. Corbeil, MIS
(Slashing), 7:36. Battaglia, MIS (Slashing), 8:12. Van Buskirk, GWT
(Slashing), 8:12. O'Leary, MIS (Roughing), 12:03. Smyth, GWT
(Roughing), 12:03. Vigilante, GWT (Hooking), 13:01. Legault, MIS
(Roughing), 16:53. Van Buskirk, GWT (Roughing), 16:53. O'Leary, MIS
(Roughing), 16:53. Brown, GWT (Roughing), 16:53. Emmett, GWT
(Unsportsmanlike Cond), 18:23.
THIRD PERIOD -- Scoring: 5, Mississippi-Drake 4 (power play) (Corbeil;
Battaglia) 6:17. Penalties: Battaglia, MIS (Hooking), 0:21.
Van Buskirk, GWT (Roughing), 4:45. Campbell, MIS (Tripping), 6:53.
Cava, MIS (Hooking), 9:13. Smyth, GWT (Slashing), 10:03.
Van Buskirk, GWT (Slashing, Ten minute misc.), 10:38. Martone, MIS
(Interference), 12:56. O'Leary, MIS (Fighting, Major), 16:30. Durno,
GWT (Fighting, Major), 16:30.
SHOTS ON GOAL
Mississippi 6 12 8--26
Gwinnett 9 13 7--29
Power Play Conversions: Mississippi - 2 of 6, Gwinnett - 0 of 7.
Goalies: Mississippi-Underhill (29 shots, 29 saves; record: 9-6-3).
Gwinnett-Fields (26 shots, 21 saves; record: 8-6-0).
A: 6969. Referee: Britt. Linesmen: Tyson; Sousa.
