Knight Night: the Glads come away with another 3-1 win over the Solar Bears and remain in pursuit of improved playoff positioning
- 2 days ago
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Preview: Orlando Solar Bears (24-34-4-1/53 points/7th place in the ECHL South) vs Atlanta Gladiators (40-19-2-1/83 points/tied for 2nd place in the ECHL South)
Tonight's matchup (March 27, 2026/puck drop at 7:10pm EST at the Gas South District) between the Orlando Solar Bears and the Atlanta Gladiators concludes their 2-game series as part of the Glads' current 3-and-3 homestand (3 games over 3 consecutive days over March 26-28, 2026). Coming off a solid 3-1 win (click HERE for our article/recap), the Glads look to extend their current win streak to 4 games in a row along with making their move for improved playoff positioning.
With 9 games left and 9 points out of a playoff spot (the top 4 teams in each division make the playoffs), the Solar Bears come in looking to even the series and hang on to their fleeting playoff hopes. Offensively, Aaron Luchuk (20 goals/28 assists/48 points/-22 rating) and Anthony Bardaro (16 goals/18 assists/34 points/-24 rating) lead the way for the team's offense, as they are averaging 2.51 goals per game. They'll face an Atlanta defense which is 5th best in the league in scoring defense (allowing 2.45 goals per game); with ECHL All-Star goaltender T.J. Semptimphelter (19-9-1-1/1 shutout/2.16 goals allowed average/.923 save percentage) "between the pipes" and a solid team-oriented defense, the Solar Bears are in for another tough time to generating an offensive attack.
Having clinched a playoff spot, Atlanta is looking to improve their playoff positioning; with the top 2 teams in each division earning home-ice advantage, a win this evening could put them in sole possession of 2nd place in the ECHL South. Alex Young (25 goals/31 assists/56 points/+9 rating) and Chad Nychuk (8 goals/42 assists/50 points/+14 rating) lead a steady offense which has 4 players with 40 or more points (as they average 2.90 goals per game). They'll counter an Orlando defense allowing slightly more than 3 goals per game (3.17 goals per game) as Harrison Menneghin draws the start in goal (4-8-0-0-/3.29 goals allowed average/.888 save percentage).
To kick off Hockey Heritage Weekend, the Glads are breaking out the Atlanta Knights jerseys (the city's first NHL franchise); as is the case with games at this time of the year, it's an added energy in the building as the two ECHL South Division rivals face off to either keep their season going or move into an improving standing in the division and post-season seeding.
Recap: Orlando comes out aggressively, but Atlanta is more than prepared and ends up with their 4th consecutive win.
As anticipated, Orlando comes out aggressively, as a fighting (major at the 16:05 mark of the 1st period) is among their 3 penalties mixed in with some highly physical play. They would parlay this into a power play goal at the 9:04 mark of the period to take a 1-0 lead on Luciano Wilson's 2nd goal of the year (assisted by Anthony Bardaro and Dyllan Gill).
The lead would be short-lived as Jack O'Brien ties the game at 1 with his 24th goal of the season (16:24 in the 1st period/assisted by Ryan Conroy).
Atlanta would take the lead at the 17:39 mark of the 2nd period as Jack O'Brien scores for the 2nd time in the game (his 25th goal/assisted by Mike McNamee) to give the Gladiators a 2-1 advantage.
Orlando would continue with their over-aggressive play which leads to penalties on Jarid Lukosevicius at the 15:03 mark (a 5 minute boarding penalty and a 10 minute game misconduct) to put Atlanta on the power play. And right on cue, Alex Young nets his 26th goal of the season (15:18 of the 3rd period/assisted by Chad Nychuk and Jack O'Brien) to give the Glads a power play goal and a 3-1 lead as the team closes out the Solar Bears for the win.
Post-game: Atlanta wins their 4th in a row and remains in the hunt for 2nd place in the ECHL South.
The Glads' defense clamped down on the Solar Bears as they did in their previous game. They outshoot their opponents (31-20) and perform better on the power play (1 for 4 compared to 1 for 5). And just as the night before (and other 3-1 win), the Glads' goaltending has another stellar performance (T.J. Semptimphelter makes saves on 19 of 20 shots).
For post-game, Atlanta Head Coach Matt Ginn speaks with the media (as the rest of the team has to excuse themselves for the post-game game worn jersey silent auction). He speaks to the team focus and defensive effort along with the upcoming games as they continue to push for home-ice advantage (with tonight's win, they remain in a tie for 2nd place in the division, but South Carolina has the tiebreaker edge):
Notes: You may watch in-game snapshots and related interviews on our 2025-26 season playlist (click HERE to watch). The team concludes their homestand on March 28th (7:10pm EST is when the puck drops) against the Jacksonville Ice Men, as the Glads are wearing the Atlanta Thrashers jerseys as part of their Hockey Heritage Weekend (click HERE for our preview).
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