DULUTH, GA– Garret Ross scored twice and added an assist to propel the Jacksonville Icemen to a 4-3 victory over the Atlanta Gladiators at the Infinite Energy Arena Friday night.
It took just 39-seconds for the Icemen to seize early control of the hockey game, as Chase Lang delivered a pass across the crease to Michael Hedden. Hedden tapped the puck behind goaltender Kyle Keyser for the early strike.
The Icemen made it 2-0 on just their second shot of the game when Everett Clark gathered the puck in the neutral zone and fed a breakaway pass to Alexis D’Aoust. D’Aoust skated down the slot and snapped a shot over Keyser’s pad for the goal.
Jacksonville continued their assault just four minutes later when Garret Ross tipped and redirected a Jacob Cederholm shot from the point into the net for the marker to put the Icemen in front 3-0 at the first intermission.
Atlanta outshot the Icemen 18-6 in the second period and got on the board at the 17:30 mark. Avery Peterson skated uncontested through the left wing circle and snapped a shot past Icemen netminder Michael McNiven for the goal.
Moments later, Nick Bligh pulled the Gladiators within one as he finished off a backhanded shot that beat McNiven to put the score at 3-2 at the second break.
Halfway through the third, Atlanta’s Scott Conway delivered a shot from the left circle that appeared to hit off the stick of an Icemen defender covering him. The puck had eyes for the top corner of the net, and sneaked in for the tying goal to deadlock the game at 3-3.
Three minutes later, the Icemen reclaimed the lead on the power play. Garret Ross found himself with the puck at the low circle and skate to the top of the crease. Ross angled backhanded shot that hit off the pads of Keyser and then trickled across the goal line for the go-ahead goal.
The Icemen, along with their goaltender Michael McNiven, were able to kill off two penalties and hold off the Atlanta attack to secure the 4-3 road win.
Jacksonville returns home on Saturday (Dec. 14) against Orlando at 7:00 p.m. Saturday is the Annual Guns ‘n Hoses game which begins at 3:00 p.m. Come support our local police and fire fighters as they battle it out on the ice for charity. A ticket to the Icemen game will grant access for the Guns ‘n Hoses game. To purchase tickets CLICK HERE
Fans can catch all game broadcasts at www.mixlr.com/jaxicemen or watch the game online at ECHL.TV
---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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