The Gwinnett Gladiators are a minor league professional hockey team that plays as a member of the South Division of the American Conference in the ECHL. The team is coached by Jeff Pyle and plays home games at the Arena at Ginnett Center in Duluth, Georgia, with a capacity of 11,355.http://echl.com/cgi-bin/ppublic.cgi?action=show_team&team_id=15

Like a handful of other ECHL teams, the Gladiators work with four affiliates, the Atlanta Thrashers and Columbus Blue Jackets in the National Hockey League and the Chicago Wolves and Syracuse Crunch in the American Hockey League.http://echl.com/cgi-bin/ppublic.cgi?action=show_team&team_id=15

During their 2009-10 season, Gwinnett recorded a losing season, going 31-35-5-3 during the year to place last in the American South Division. Their 70 points put them second to last in the American Conference and was not enough to qualify for the 2010 Kelly Cup Playoffs.http://echl.leaguestat.com/stats/statdisplay.php?type=standings&season_id=13

While the season was considered unsuccessful by many, several players stood out along the way including Adam Berti, who tallied 57 points, Scott Mifsud, who recorded 52 points, and Tom Zanoski, who scored 25 goals.http://echl.leaguestat.com/stats/statdisplay.php?type=skaters&subType=6&season_id=13&leagueId=1&lastActive=&singleSeason=&confId=0 The Gladiators used two primary goaltenders during the season, Danny Taylor and David Brown. Taylor won 18 of 37 games, with a .902 save percentage and 3.47 goals-against average, while Brown won 10 of 33 games, allowing 3.94 goals per game with a .888 save percentage.http://echl.leaguestat.com/stats/statdisplay.php?type=goalies&subType=6&season_id=13&leagueId=1&lastActive=&singleSeason=&confId=0

History

The franchise originated back in 1995 as the Mobile Mysticks in the then-East Coast Hockey League. Playing in Mobile, Alabama, the Mysticks tallied a 228-202-0-0-64 record in seven seasons. They reached the playoffs five-consecutive times, reaching as far as the third round in 2001.http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/display_standings.php?tmi=6904

After taking the 2002-03 off to relocate, the franchise returned in the fall of 2003 as the Gwinnett Gladiators. They reached the postseason in the next six seasons, including a trip to the finals in 2006. The Gladiators however fell in the Kelly Cup Finals to the Alaska Aces.http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/display_standings.php?tmi=5960