Back at it: after a win the night before, the Atlanta Gladiators are back at it the next day and take down the SC Stingrays

Preview: South Carolina Stingrays (4-2-0-0/8 points/3rd place in the ECHL South) vs Atlanta Gladiators (5-0-0-0/10 points/1st place in the ECHL South)

Coming off an impressive win against in-state and division rival Savannah the night before (click HERE for our article), the Atlanta Gladiators return to the ice for an afternoon tilt against another ECHL South Division rival, the 3rd place South Carolina Stingrays (November 2, 2025 at 3pm EST at the Gas South District).

Led by Josh Wilkins (4 goals/3 assists/7 points) and Simon Pinard (3 goals/3 assists/6 points), the Stingrays look to jumpstart an offense scoring 2.7 goals per game. They'll face a challenge as the Atlanta Gladiators' defense has allowed a meager 1.6 goals per game at this point of the early season.

Speaking of early, Atlanta will look to duplicate yesterday's fast start (where they stake a 3-0 lead in the 1st period). Alex Young (3 goals/3 assists/6 points) and Chad Nychuk (2 goals/4 assists/6 points) set the tone for the offense (which is scoring 3.6 goals per game); they'll look to exploit a South Carolina defense which is allowing 3.3 goals per game along with winning the 2nd game of their current 3-game homestand.

Game recap: Team defense is the name of today's game as the Glads continue their winning ways.

The 1st period saw both teams play steady defense as the game is scoreless at the end of the period (despite Atlanta outshooting South Carolina by an 11-6 margin).

The 2nd period would see a little more physical play, but again, both defenses and goaltenders hold serve as the game is still in a scoreless tie.

In the 3rd period, the Glads break the scoreless tie inside the first 20 seconds of the period. Carson Denomie's 1st goal of the season (assisted by Joey Cipollone) is a shorthanded goal as the team takes a 1-0 lead.

At the 6:32 mark of the 3rd period, Atlanta adds to their lead as Joey Cipollone's 2nd goal of the season (assisted by Mike McNamee) makes it a 2-0 game in favor of the Gladiators.

South Carolina would pull their goaltender inside the last 3:30 of the period for an extra skater. Simon Pinard would score at the 18:42 mark of the period (his 4th goal of the season with assists from Kyler Kupka and Connor Moore) to get within a goal, but the Gladiators' defense closes out the game and earns the win, making in 6 consecutive wins to open the season.

Atlanta has a slight edge in shots on goal (23-21), but their penalty killing, including a second straight game with a shorthand goal, helps make the difference resulting in a win. Goaltender T.J. Semptimphelter's stellar play (20 saves on 21 shots) along with the scoring of Carson Denomie and Joey Cipollone give the Glads another win, especially within the division.

Post-game: Solid defense and another shorthanded goal are keys to the Glads' win as they stay atop the ECHL South Division.

All three players of the game (Carson Denomi, Joey Ciploone, and T.J. Semptimphelter) take time to speak with us post-game. All speak to the larger team effort, focus, and confidence along with how these traits propel them to victory (you may watch all three interviews in their entirety below):

Notes: All photos and game-snapshots are recorded by asnortonccs; post-game interviews are recorded by Lauren Houston. You may watch our playlist for our 2025-26 coverage (click HERE).

The Atlanta Gladiators conclude their 3-game homestand on November 5, 2025 at 10:30 am for the first of their School Day games. They'll host the Greenville Swamp Rabbits.