ESTERO, FLA – Despite trailing 36-20 in shots on goal Friday evening, the Atlanta Gladiators (11-20-2-0) evened up the three-game series against the Florida Everblades (12-7-2-3) with a 2-1 win at Hertz Arena. 
The Gladiators entered the game on a mission as Mike Turner cashed in on a centering pass from Matt Harrington behind the cage just 2:07 into the evening. Florida gained a 12-9 lead in shots after a sluggish start, but they trailed 1-0 as the first period closed.
Much like the Wednesday night meeting between the teams, neither side struck gold in the middle frame. The Everblades’ best chance to crack the scoreboard came on a Ben Masella breakaway with two minutes left. Atlanta goaltender Tyler Parks squeezed the pads together to keep the Gladiators ahead by one at the second intermission.
With 13:18 on the clock in the third period, Cody Sylvester scored through the five-hole of Devin Cooley on a Mike Pelech assist to increase the Atlanta lead to 2-0. The Hertz Arena goal horn sounded for the first time with 72 seconds to spare. Florida’s Kody McDonald defeated Parks along the right side of the net with John McCarron and Jake Jaremko recording assists. The Gladiators backchecking unit proved to be too much for the Everblades in the final minute as Atlanta pulled through for a 2-1 win.
The rubber match between the Everblades and Gladiators takes place on Saturday, December 18th with a 7 p.m. start in Estero. Join us for a night of fun holiday festivities based on the Christmas classic Elf.
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