Stopped in Game 6: the South Carolina Stingrays come away with a 3-1 win over the Atlanta Gladiators and win their 1st round playoff series by a 4-2 margin
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Preview: South Carolina Stingrays (#2 seed in the ECHL South) vs Atlanta Gladiators (#3 seed in the ECHL South)
Coming into tonight's Game 6 (May 4, 2026 at the Gas South District/7:10pm EST puck drop), the series is playing out as advertised (click HERE for our series preview).
Four of the five games in the series are decided by 1 goal, as the Stingrays hold a 3-2 series lead. With a win tonight, South Carolina can end the series; however, Atlanta has no intentions of having their season end, so this game (as the others) meets the definition of "playoff hockey".
Charlie Combs (6 goals/2 assists/8 points/+5 rating), Stanley Cooley (1 goal/4 assists/5 points/+7 rating), and Connor Moore (0 goals/5 assists/5 points/+5 rating) lead the Stingrays' offense. By the same token, Alex Young (1 goal/4 assists/5 points/+1 rating), Jack O'Brien (2 goals/3 assists/5 points/+4 rating), and Chad Nychuk (1 goal/4 assists/5 points/0 rating) counter for the Glads on offense. Defensively, Stingrays' goaltender Garin Bjorklund (3-1-0-1/1 shutout/2.20 goals allowed average/.924 save percentage) is between the pipes as he has the entire series; T.J. Semptimphelter (1-1-0-0/3.54 goals allowed average/.865 save percentage) draws the start for the Glads as they focus on tying the series.
It's another episode of play between the most evenly matched teams in 1st round of the ECHL Playoffs.
Recap: Another evenly played game as the Stingrays stop the Glads' efforts to even the series.
The Glads strike first as Jack O'Brien catches the Stingrays falling asleep on their end of the ice. HIs unassisted goal is his 3rd of the playoffs (14:33 in the 1st period) to take a 1-0 lead.
The Stingrays would wake up as 2 1/2 minutes later, they tie the game on Stanley Cooley's 2nd goal of the playoffs (17:59 in the 1st period assisted by Connor Moore and Dean Loukus). In the 2nd period, they'd take a 2-1 lead (8:26 in the 2nd period) on Romain Rodzinski's 3rd goal of the playoffs (assisted by Justin Nachbaur and D.J. King).
In the 3rd period, the usual physical intensity shows up as there are 5 penalties called in the period (compared to 5 in the first 2 periods). Although Atlanta has some opportunities and feverish play, South Carolina weathers the storm. Once play gets inside of 3 minutes left in the game, the Glads pull their goaltender for an extra skater, and at the 18:14 mark of the period, the Stingrays seal the deal with an unassisted empty net goal from Jalen Luypen (his 2nd goal of the playoffs to give them a 3-1 lead, resulting in the series-clinching win.
Post-game: Another close matchup as the Glads' season comes to an end.
It's noteworthy that 4 of the 6 games in this series are decided by 1 goal; tonight's game is another even matchup as the teams essentially have the same number of shots (South Carolina has a 30-29 edge). Both teams have numerous power play opportunities, but neither team can take advantage (South Carolina goes 0 for 3 while Atlanta goes 0 for 5).
The Glads' T.J. Semptimphelter turns in a solid performance (27 saves on 29 shots on goal) and the Stingrays' Garin Bjorklund (28 saves on 29 shots) is up to the task as well.
As for the task at hand, there is disappointment in the Atlanta locker room knowing their season is over. By the same token, over the next few days, including a look ahead to the 2026-27 season, the team has a lot to look on in not only developing talent, but fielding a competitive team and a winning culture. Matt Ginn (Atlanta's head coach) speaks to these and other points during post-game with the media (you may watch his remarks below):
In a bittersweet moment, team captain Cody Sylvester addresses the media. Given the announcement of his retirement, he closes out his hockey career and after time to close out some items, looks to his next chapter (you may watch his full remarks below):
While the season does not end the way in which they hoped, there's plenty to look forward to as the Gladiators continue to build a winning culture and environment that develops talent and can compete well into the postseason.
See you on the ice in October for the 2026-27 season.
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