Gladiators Close Regular Season with 5-3 Win Over Swamp Rabbits

The Atlanta Gladiators closed out the 2025-26 regular season on a high note, defeating the Greenville Swamp Rabbits 5-3 on Sunday afternoon at Bon Secours Wellness Arena.

In the 14th and final meeting between the I-85 rivals this season, Atlanta had already secured the third seed in the South Division, while Greenville entered the matchup eliminated from playoff contention. Still, the intensity never dipped.

Ethan Haider got the start in net for Atlanta, while Isaiah Saville manned the crease for Greenville.

The opening period saw both teams trade early chances, but it was Haider who stood out, turning aside several quality looks to keep the game scoreless through the first half of the frame. Greenville eventually broke through with 4:57 remaining, as rookie defenseman Michael Mastrodomenico fired a shot from the right point to make it 1-0.

Atlanta responded late—and in aggressive fashion.

While shorthanded, Joey Cipollone forced a turnover in the offensive zone and set up Brendan Less, who buried his fourth goal of the season to tie the game 1-1 with 2:23 left in the period. The goal marked Atlanta’s 12th shorthanded tally of the season. The Swamp Rabbits outshot the Gladiators 14-8 in the opening frame, but the game remained even heading into intermission.

Greenville regained the lead in the second period when Tristan De Jong capitalized on a broken play, scoring at the 8:06 mark to make it 2-1. The momentum didn’t last long.

Just over three minutes later, Cipollone evened things up at 2-2, finishing a loose puck on the goal line for his 17th of the season, with assists from Carson Denomie and Isak Walther. Atlanta then grabbed its first lead of the game late in the period when Eric Neiley forced a turnover and found the back of the net with 4:49 remaining. The goal extended Neiley’s point streak to five games and gave the Gladiators a 3-2 advantage after 40 minutes.

Atlanta carried that momentum into the third.

Ryan Conroy extended the lead to 4-2 at 6:35, finishing a cross-ice feed from Cody Sylvester. The Gladiators controlled the pace down the stretch and sealed the win with an empty-net goal from Carson Denomie with 49 seconds remaining. Greenville added a late goal with under a second left, but it only trimmed the final margin to 5-3.

Haider was a difference-maker throughout, stopping 26 of 29 shots to secure his 24th win of the season—third-most by a Gladiators goaltender in a single season. Saville finished with 22 saves on 26 shots for Greenville. Atlanta went 0-for-1 on the power play and a perfect 2-for-2 on the penalty kill.

With the regular season complete, the Gladiators now shift focus to the 2026 Kelly Cup Playoffs, where they will face the South Carolina Stingrays in the opening round. Game 1 is set for Friday, April 24 at North Charleston Coliseum, with puck drop scheduled for 7:05 p.m. Fans can watch live on FloHockey or listen via the Gladiators Broadcast Network on YouTube. Click HERE  for tickets.