Everblades Top Gladiators 5–1 in Final Regular-Season Meeting

The Florida Everblades defeated the Atlanta Gladiators 5–1 on Thursday night at Gas South Arena in the final regular-season meeting between the two teams.

Despite the loss, Atlanta finished the seven-game season series with a 5–2 record against Florida.

Coming off a hard-earned win over the Everblades on Wednesday morning, the Gladiators entered Thursday night looking to sweep the back-to-back set. T.J. Semptimphelter got the start in net for Atlanta, while Cam Johnson once again started between the pipes for Florida.

Florida wasted no time getting on the board.

In a blink-and-you-miss-it moment, the Everblades struck just 28 seconds into the game when Sam Stange fired a shot from the high slot that beat Semptimphelter to give Florida a quick 1–0 lead.

Atlanta generated a few quality scoring chances in the opening period but couldn’t find the back of the net. The Gladiators’ penalty kill unit stood tall, successfully killing off two Florida power plays to keep the deficit at one. After 20 minutes of play, the Everblades held a 1–0 lead with shots even at 10 apiece.

While Atlanta was held scoreless in the first period, there were hopes the offense would find a rhythm in the second. Instead, Florida added to its lead midway through the frame.

Tarun Fizer struck 4:52 into the second period to make it 2–0, capitalizing on a scoring opportunity to extend the Everblades’ advantage. Just under five minutes later, Isaac Nurse added another, beating Semptimphelter from the slot at the 9:31 mark to push Florida’s lead to 3–0.

Atlanta struggled to generate sustained offensive pressure in the middle period and was outshot 14–6 in the frame as Florida carried the three-goal advantage into the third.

The Gladiators showed signs of life early in the final period.

At the 7:09 mark, Ryan Francis put Atlanta on the board with a power-play goal — his sixth of the season — cutting the deficit to 3–1. The goal was assisted by Nolan Orzeck and Jack O’Brien and briefly gave the Gladiators momentum.

However, Atlanta was unable to build on the opportunity.

Florida sealed the game late with a pair of goals in the final minute. Jordan Sambrook scored an empty-net goal with 47 seconds remaining, and Reid Duke added another off a turnover with just 15 seconds left to secure the 5–1 victory.

Semptimphelter finished the night stopping 28 of 32 shots in the loss, while Johnson turned aside 28 of 29 shots for Florida.

Atlanta went 1-for-4 on the power play and a perfect 3-for-3 on the penalty kill.

Despite Thursday night’s defeat, the Gladiators still claimed the season series against the Everblades, finishing 5–2 against Florida during the regular season.

Atlanta now turns its attention to another important matchup in the playoff race. The Gladiators return to the ice Sunday afternoon when they host the South Carolina Stingrays at Gas South Arena.

The game will also serve as the team’s St. Patrick’s Day Celebration, with puck drop scheduled for 3:00 p.m. as the Gladiators look to rebound and strengthen their position in the postseason push.