Records:Â Â Evansville: 19-25-6-2; Atlanta: 29-19-4-2
Goalies:  ATL – Patterson (W), 14-7-2-1, 18 saves
              EVN – Greenham (SOL), 6-5-1-1, 36 saves
Scoring:
1st Period: 1. EVN – Sims 12 (Fawcett, 3:39); 2. EVN – Zay 6 (Harrison, Hagaman, 8:22); 3. ATL – Phillips 1 (Nunn, Albers, 9:41); 4. ATL – Frazee 11 (Register, Stejskal, 11:20); 5. ATL – Frazee 12 (PP, Register, Nesbitt, 19:27)
2nd Period: 6. EVN – Penny 5 (Himelson, Trebish, 11:51)
3rd Period: No Scoring
Overtime:Â No Scoring
Shootout: EVN – Leveille (save), Penny (save), Moon (save); ATL – Phillips (save), Nesbitt (goal)
EVANSVILLE, IN – The Evansville IceMen earned a point in their fifth straight home game Friday at the Ford Center, but the Atlanta Gladiators edged the IceMen in a shootout. It was the first of two games between the two teams this weekend, as Evansville celebrates Pink the Rink Weekend.
Two goals in the first half of the first period put the IceMen in front 2-0 in a high-scoring opening period. Jordan Sims scored on the first Evansville shot when he beat Atlanta goalie Kent Patterson with a backhander through the legs on a 2-on-1 rush 3:39 into the game. Then Matthew Zay picked up a rebound off of the post and jammed the puck under Patterson’s right pad at 8:22.
The Gladiators answered in a big way, as Zach Phillips scored his first ECHL goal on a one-timer at 9:41. Former IceMen forward Thomas Frazee then struck twice against his old team. He first fired a shot into the top of the net from the left circle to tie the game at 11:20. Frazee then gave Atlanta the lead entering the first intermission, when he tipped a shot in front of Evansville goalie Scott Greenham on a power play with 33 seconds left in the period.
Rookie Ryan Penny tied the game for Evansville midway through the second period, when he deflected a point shot from Andrew Himelson past Patterson. It was Penny’s third point in his first two games since rejoining the IceMen from Binghamton in the AHL. Atlanta outshot Evansville 21-11 through two periods of play, but Greenham made several key saves in the middle frame to keep the game tied 3-3 after two.
Greenham made 14 more saves in the third period, and Patterson stopped seven, as the two teams skated into overtime for the second time this season. After no scoring in the extra period, Derek Nesbitt pocketed the only shootout goal against Greenham to send the Gladiators to a 4-3 win.
The IceMen and Gladiators meet one more time Saturday at 7:15pm at the Ford Center to wrap up Pink the Rink Weekend. Evansville will again wear its special black and pink jerseys, which will be auctioned off after the game. A portion of the proceeds from the auction will go to Susan G. Komen Foundation benefitting breast cancer research.
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UPCOMING HOME GAMES
Sat. 2/27 – Atlanta at Evansville (7:15pm) – Ford Center
                        Pink the Rink Weekend – Jersey Auction
Fri. 3/4 – Tulsa at Evansville (7:15pm) – Ford Center
                        Colon Cancer Awareness Night / Book Drive Kick Off
Sat. 3/5 – Tulsa at Evansville (7:15pm) – Ford Center
                       Book Drive
Sun. 3/6 – Wichita at Evansville (5:15pm) – Ford Center
                        Faith Night / Subway Family Night / Last Day of Book Drive
