Gladiators Fall 3-2 to Swamp Rabbits, Slip in Playoff Seeding Race

By Christopher Drummond

ATLANTA, Ga. — The Atlanta Gladiators’ push for playoff positioning took another hit Friday night in a 3–2 loss to the Greenville Swamp Rabbits, marking their second straight defeat in the series.

With the loss, Atlanta drops behind Greenville in the standings as both teams jockey for seeding with just three games remaining in the regular season. The Gladiators are in the midst of another demanding stretch, playing three games in three days for the second consecutive weekend.

Coming off a 4–0 loss in Greenville on Thursday, both teams showed early signs of fatigue. The opening period was sluggish, with neither side able to generate sustained offense. Greenville controlled the early tempo but came up empty on two power-play opportunities as the period ended scoreless.

Greenville broke through in the second period when Tim Rego capitalized on a breakaway, finishing a feed from Patrick Polino and Parker Berge to give the Swamp Rabbits a 1–0 lead.

Atlanta responded quickly.

Adam Eisele tied the game with his second goal of the season, energizing the home crowd. Later in the period, Alex Young—Atlanta’s leading scorer—netted his 27th goal on the power play, assisted by Jack O’Brien and Chad Nychuk, to give the Gladiators a 2–1 advantage heading into the third.

The lead didn’t hold.

Five minutes into the final period, Ryan O’Reilly converted off a crisp pass from Parker Berge to even the score at 2–2. Berge continued to be a difference-maker late, recording his third point of the night when he set up Keaton Mastrodonato for the go-ahead goal with under five minutes remaining. Neil Shea also assisted on the play.

Atlanta pulled its goaltender in the final minutes but failed to convert, with several late chances missing wide as Greenville held on for the win.

“I didn’t like the start,” head coach Matt Ginn said. “After that, I thought we played well enough to win. We had plenty of chances to tie it, and the effort was there. But we have to be better at closing games. The margin for error is small.”

Despite the loss, Atlanta has already clinched a playoff berth. Ginn noted the challenge of managing fatigue and maintaining performance during a congested schedule.

“It’s a long season, and guys are worn down,” Ginn said. “You’re trying to balance rest without losing sharpness. We’ve also had some illness in the room, but that’s part of it. It’s an opportunity for others to step up, and we need to take advantage of that moving forward.”

Both teams were assessed five penalties, while Greenville outshot Atlanta 34–30 for the second straight game.

The Gladiators will look to rebound Saturday night when they host the Savannah Ghost Pirates. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:10 p.m.

Atlanta Gladiators Adam Eisele after scoring a game-tying goal early in second period of Friday's night action against Greenville.