Record Crowd of 12,836 Attends Annual School Day Game

JACKSONVILLE, FL – Zach Malatesta scored twice and added an assist to help the Atlanta Gladiators edge the Jacksonville Icemen 5-4 in front of a record crowd of 12,836 at Veterans Memorial Arena Thursday afternoon.  The game marked the highest attended hockey game in Jacksonville Hockey history.  

BOX SCORE / GAMESHEET

Malatesta scored the first of his two goals in the game at 6:50 of the first period when he tipped and redirected a shot past Icemen goaltender Adam Carlson to put Atlanta in front 1-0. 

Jacksonville evened the game at the halfway point of the first period when the Clark Brothers, Emerson and Everett, connected on a 2-on-1 rush to put the score at 1-1.

The Gladiators reclaimed the lead with a power play goal by Luke Nelson just 90 seconds into the second period.   Moments later, Derek Barach centered a pass to Garret Ross in the slot. Ross snapped a shot into the net past goaltender Martin Ouellette to tie the game at two.  

The see-saw battle continued, as six minutes later,  Atlanta’s Nick Bligh tipped in a shot to put the score at 3-2.  The Icemen once again managed to knot the score at three on a power play goal from Hayden Shaw.    

In the third, the Gladiators received a goal from Dante Hannoun to claim their fourth lead of the contest at 7:03 of the third period.  After setting up two goals earlier in the game, Derek Barach scored a goal of his own to put the game at a 4-4 count.   However, less than a minute later, Malatesta struck again, netting his second goal of the game at 8:36 of the final stanza to pull Atlanta back in front for a fifth time.  

Despite rallying to tie the game four times in the contest,  Jacksonville could not find a fifth tally to force overtime as Atlanta held on for the 5-4 victory.  

The two teams meet again in Downtown Jacksonville tomorrow.   Game time is set for 7:00 p.m. Fans can catch all game broadcasts at www.mixlr.com/jaxicemen or watch the game online at ECHL.TV

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Upcoming Home GamesFriday, November 15, vs, Atlanta, 7:00 p.m.  – Wendy’s 4-Pack Fry-Days!  4 tickets, 4 Icemen mini sticks and 4 small Dave’s Single Combos at Wendy’s. 

Saturday, November 16, vs. Orlando, 7:00 p.m.  – Marvel Super Hero Night!  The Icemen will wear special Marvel themed jerseys for the game. 

Flexible ticket packages and discounted group tickets are on sale now.  Contact 904-602-7825 for more information. 

The 2019-20 Jacksonville Icemen Season is Presented by Community First Credit Union

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