GREENSBORO, NC – The Greensboro Gargoyles, proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes and the AHL’s Chicago Wolves, lost their three game trip to Glens Falls, NY as the Adirondack Thunder swept the weekend. The Gargoyles now prepare for four games in five days against the Norfolk Admirals and the Atlanta Gladiators.

WHAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK
The Gargoyles finished the weekend 0-3-0 on their trip to the North Country, visiting the Adirondack Thunder in Glens Falls, NY and the Harding Mazzotti Arena.

The three-game series started on Friday, February 20. After a scoreless opening period, the Adirondack Thunder struck first 55 seconds into the second, but Greensboro answered quickly as David Gagnon tied the game two minutes later, recording his first of two points on the night. The Thunder regained the lead at 6:22, only for the Gargoyles to respond again with an unassisted goal from Anthony Rinaldi at 14:13 to make it 2-2. Adirondack pulled ahead for good in the third with two goals from Matt Salhany at 12:50 and 15:36, including a power-play marker, before Greensboro mounted a late push with the extra attacker, drawing a penalty and cutting the deficit when Tyler Weiss scored 10 seconds into a 6-on-4 advantage. The Gargoyles won the ensuing faceoff with 24 seconds left but could not find the equalizer, falling 4-3.

The Gargoyles led twice on Saturday night, but two quick second period goals lifted the Adirondack Thunder in front of a sellout crowd. Anthony Rinaldi opened the scoring to give the Gargoyles their first lead of the weekend 10:17 into the first period with assists from Jordan Biro and Zach Faremouth. The Thunder tied the game shortly after at 10:17. Blake Biondi quickly regained the Gargoyles lead 37 seconds later assisted by Trevor Zins and David Gagnon. Adirondack trailed late into the second period, but scored two goals in 42 seconds at 16:23 and 17:05 to gain a 3-2 lead. They would finish an empty net goal with 1:59 remaining in regulation to secure a win.

The Greensboro lost 5-2 to the Adirondack Thunder on Sunday afternoon. After a tightly contested first period that did not see any goals, the Thunder scored three goals in the second period to blow their lead open. Alex Campbell scored 29 seconds into the middle frame followed 34 seconds later by Ben Carrabes. Tag Bertuzzi scored his third goal of the weekend 11:15 into the second to extend the lead. Adirondack opened the third period with a goal to make it 4-0 before Logan Nelson cut the damage to 4-1 with 9:17 remaining. Adirondack answered 1:02 later from Sean Olson. Greensboro scored a late power play goal from Blake Biondi with 1:32 left in regulation, but would fall 5-2 in a weekend sweep for the Thunder.

ON DECK
The Gargoyles play four games in five days this week, starting with a three-game home-and-home matchup with the Norfolk Admirals and closing with a Sunday afternoon game against the Atlanta Gladiators. The team will travel to Norfolk, VA on Wednesday night for one game against the Admirals, then host Norfolk on Friday and Saturday night at the First Horizon Coliseum. Atlanta makes their second trip to Gate City Sunday at 3 PM.

The Admirals are seventh in the North Division with 40 points, four more than the Gargoyles, 19-27-2 this season. Norfolk won two of the first three games against the Gargoyles in their series two weeks ago. Brady Fleurent leads the team in scoring with 41 points (20G-21A) in 46 games, and has seven points (5G-2A) in his last six games. Jack O’Leary had three-point games in both Admirals wins against Greensboro. The rookie forward recorded three goals and three assists over the three game weekend, he has 33 points (12G-21A) this season. Goaltender Isaac Poulter has been a workhorse in net for the Admirals, 16-11 this season with a 2.85 goals against average and .902 save percentage.

The Gladiators are fourth in the ECHL, second in the Eastern Conference, 32-13-3 this season with 67 points. They have won both appearances against the Gargoyles with a 3-0 shutout win on January 3 in Atlanta and a 6-3 win in Greensboro on February 3. Forward Alex Young (17G-24A) and defenseman Chad Nychuk (6G-35A) lead the Gladiators in scoring with 41 points. Young recorded an assist in both games against the Gargoyles, while Nychuk was limited to one assist in the February appearance. TJ Semtimphelter has started both games against the Gargoyles. He is 15-6-1 in 23 appearances. Ethan Haider has made 26 appearances in net for Atlanta, posting a 17-7-1 record.

The Gargoyles are eighth in the North Division with 30 points, 12-24-6 this season. Tyler Weiss became the franchise’s leading scorer after seven points in four games last week, now with 27 points (12G-15A) in 42 games. Noah Delmas has a five game point streak, with eight assists over that stretch. Ruslan Khazheyev picked up his sixth win of the season on Thursday. He has a 3.01 goals against average and a .904 save percentage.

Greensboro will try to pass Norfolk this weekend for seventh in the division. The teams match up evenly on the power play, with Norfolk holding a slight edge at 15.3 percent to Greensboro’s 15.1 percent. The Gargoyles scored five power play goals in their four games last week. The Gargoyles hold a significant edge in the penalty kill succeeding at 82 percent. The Admirals are 24th in the league at 76.6 percent.

ROSTER TRANSACTIONS
No roster transactions week of Wed. February 18 to Tues. February 24.

PLAYER MILESTONES
Gargoyles goalie Ruslan Khazheyev made the ECHL’s Saves of the Week with a diving stop on Friday, keeping the game tied 0-0 with 8:12 remaining in the first period. Khazheyev made 59 saves in two appearances this weekend.

PLAYER SPOTLIGHT- Noah Delmas
Greensboro Gargoyles defenseman Noah Delmas has 11 points (1G-10A) in 10 games during February. Over six professional seasons, Delmas has played in 160 ECHL games and spent three seasons in Europe. This year, Delmas has 16 points (1G-15A) in 35 games with Greensboro). Get to know the 29-year-old from Schomberg, ON.

Delmas grew up with a younger sister, living on a horse farm training race horses. He started playing hockey at three years old. After three junior seasons split between the OJHL Aurora Tigers and the USHL Bloomington Tigers, he committed to Niagara University for college. Over four seasons with the Purple Eagles, Delmas appeared in 146 games recording 99 points from 20 goals and 79 assists. His best season came as a Junior, where he was nearly a point-per-game, finishing with 40 points in 41 games.

He signed his first professional contract with the Kansas City Mavericks for the 2020-21 seasons. After 67 games across two seasons, he moved to Europe for the first time playing in the EIHL with the Manchester Storm. He returned to the ECHL in 2022-23, playing for the Worcester Railers. He spent the next two seasons in Europe, playing in Poland with GKS Katowice during the 2023-24 season, then returning to the EIHL last season where he played for the FIFE Flyers.

UPCOMING GAME PACKAGES: PUCKS AND PAWS NIGHT / SUNDAY FUNDAY

Join the Greensboro Gargoyles for Pucks & Paws Night on Friday, February 27 at 7 PM as the Greensboro gargoyles face off against the Norfolk Admirals. Purchase tickets for $20 each, each human and pup are required to have their own ticket.

WHO: Calling all you dawgs!

WHAT: One human ticket and one dog ticket.

WHERE: The First Horizon Coliseum, home of the Greensboro Gargoyles.

WHEN: Pucks and Paws Night on Friday, February 27.

HOW: Secure now: Pucks & Paws

Join the Greensboro Gargoyles for Sunday Fun Day sponsored by Lakeside Dental on Sunday, March 1 against the Atlanta Gladiators! Bring the whole family to the game, with our ticket package offering four (4) tickets and four (4) mini sticks for $80.

WHO: All Gargoyles fans, friends, and families!

WHAT: Four (4) game tickets and four (4) mini sticks

WHERE: The First Horizon Coliseum, home of the Greensboro Gargoyles.

WHEN: Family Fun Day on Sunday, March 1.

HOW: Secure now: Valentines Day
 

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