Swamp Rabbits Stun Gladiators 3-2 on Golf Night, End Atlanta's Four-Game Home Win Streak

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | April 3, 2026

Swamp Rabbits Stun Gladiators 3-2 on Golf Night, End Atlanta's Four-Game Home Win Streak

Atlanta had the lead. Atlanta had the momentum. Atlanta had everything — until Keaton Mastrodonato had other ideas.

Gas South Arena • Duluth, Georgia • April 3, 2026 • ECHL Hockey

DULUTH, Ga. — Golf Night at Gas South Arena was supposed to be a celebration. The Atlanta Gladiators in green specialty jerseys. A home crowd ready to cheer their team deeper into playoff position. Four consecutive home wins backing them up and the confidence of a team that had not lost in regulation when leading after two periods — not once all season long.

Then the Greenville Swamp Rabbits reminded everyone why playoff races in the ECHL South Division do not end until the final buzzer sounds.

Keaton Mastrodonato scored with 4:22 remaining in the third period to give Greenville a 3-2 lead — a goal that held up as the winner as the Swamp Rabbits fended off a furious Atlanta push in the game's closing minutes and walked out of Gas South Arena with a critical two points. The final score: Greenville 3, Atlanta 2. The result: Atlanta's four-game home winning streak was over, and the South Division playoff picture got a whole lot more interesting.

THE STAKES COULD NOT HAVE BEEN HIGHER

Before a puck was dropped on Friday night, both teams understood exactly what was on the line. Atlanta entered the game looking to hold its position as the second seed in the division — a standing that represents security, home ice advantage, and playoff momentum heading into the stretch run. Greenville came in eight points behind Savannah for the final playoff spot in the South — a deficit that makes every game feel like a must-win and turns every two points into something that can define a season.

Both teams needed this. Both teams competed like they knew it.

THE FIRST PERIOD: DEFENSE SETS THE TONE

The opening frame was a masterclass in goaltending and defensive structure from both sides — and a very early sign that this game was not going to be won easily by anyone.

Ethan Haider started in net for Atlanta while Isaiah Saville took the crease for Greenville — the same Saville who had delivered a 35-save shutout of the Gladiators just the night prior. The Swamp Rabbits dominated possession in the opening period, outshooting Atlanta 12-3 in the first frame, but Haider was sharp when called upon and the Gladiators' defensive structure kept Greenville's skaters from generating the clean looks that their shot volume might suggest.

Twenty minutes played. Zero goals scored. Atlanta's 17th scoreless first period of the season came and went — and everything that was going to matter about Friday night was still waiting to be decided.

THE SECOND PERIOD: THREE GOALS IN LESS THAN THREE MINUTES

If the first period was chess, the second period was a street fight — and it opened up in a matter of seconds that left Gas South Arena breathless.

With 6:50 remaining in the middle frame, Tim Rego broke the deadlock — a backhand shot from the slot that beat Haider cleanly and gave Greenville a 1-0 lead. The Swamp Rabbits had the advantage. The crowd grew restless.

Eighty-five seconds later, they had reason to roar again. Adam Eisele delivered one of the individual plays of the night — stickhandling around Parker Berge with a creativity and patience that created the lane he needed, then firing the puck far side past Saville to tie the game at 1-1. The momentum had swung completely and instantly.

Then it swung again. Just 1:14 after Eisele's equalizer, Alex Young ripped in a power play goal — assisted by Chad Nychuk and Jack O'Brien — to give Atlanta a 2-1 lead heading into the third period. In under three minutes of game time, the scoreboard had gone from 0-0 to 2-1 Atlanta. Three goals. Three momentum swings. And the Gladiators looking like they were ready to close the deal in the final frame.

The second period ended with Atlanta leading 2-1 and holding a lead they had not surrendered in regulation all season long.

THE THIRD PERIOD: MASTRODONATO DELIVERS THE DAGGER

The third period started the way every close playoff-race game should — fast, physical, and with nothing given away on either side.

Greenville tied the game at 2-2 just 4:19 into the frame. Ryan O'Reilly drove toward the net with purpose and the puck — in the chaos of bodies in front of Haider — jumped past the Atlanta goaltender to level the score. Parker Berge picked up the assist on the tying goal, continuing what would become an eventful evening for the Swamp Rabbits blue liner.

What followed was the kind of back-and-forth, end-to-end hockey that makes this league worth watching — both teams trading chances, both goalies making saves, the clock ticking toward what many inside Gas South Arena were anticipating would be overtime. Then Mastrodonato happened.

With 4:22 remaining in the third period, the Swamp Rabbits' forward found the net for his 8th goal of the season series — assisted by Berge and Neil Shea — and gave Greenville a 3-2 lead that would prove to be the final score. Atlanta came at Greenville in waves in the final minutes — outshooting the Swamp Rabbits 15-8 in the third period and mounting the kind of pressure that has won games all season long — but Saville held firm and Greenville's defensive commitment in the final 4:22 proved to be the difference.

BY THE NUMBERS

Isaiah Saville stopped 28 of 30 shots for Greenville — his second strong performance against the Gladiators in as many nights. Ethan Haider stopped 31 of 34 for Atlanta in a performance that deserved a better result. The Swamp Rabbits outshot the Gladiators 34-30 overall — despite Atlanta's dominant 15-8 third period surge. Atlanta went 1-for-5 on the power play and a perfect 4-for-4 on the penalty kill — solid special teams work that ultimately could not overcome the 4:22 gut punch from Mastrodonato.

Most significantly — it marked the first time all season that the Atlanta Gladiators lost a game in regulation when leading after two periods. A streak ended. A home winning streak ended. And in the South Division playoff race — two very important points changed hands on Golf Night at Gas South Arena.

WHAT'S NEXT

For Greenville — two points that could prove enormous in the race for the final playoff spot in the South. The Swamp Rabbits continue to chip away at the Savannah deficit and Friday night's result is exactly the kind of result that fuels late-season runs. For Atlanta — a chance to respond quickly and protect their second-seed standing in a division where every game carries the weight of postseason implications. The Gladiators have the talent, the goaltending, and the experience to bounce back. But Friday night served as a reminder that in the ECHL South, no lead is safe and no streak lasts forever.

Final Score: Greenville Swamp Rabbits 3, Atlanta Gladiators 2 | Gas South Arena, Duluth, Georgia | April 3, 2026 | ECHL Hockey