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Wednesday, April 15th

Gargoyles Weekly Update: April 15, 2026

Gargoyles Weekly Update: April 15, 2026
GREENSBORO, NC – The Greensboro Gargoyles, proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes and the AHL’s Chicago Wolves, are entering the final week of the Inaugural Season. The team prepares for three more games at the First Horizon Coliseum, expecting to set an ECHL attendance mark on Thursday morning for their School Day game.
 
WHAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK
The Gargoyles returned home for the first time in nearly four weeks, closing out their regular season series with the Worcester Railers. Worcester swept the weekend with three wins, the Gargoyles have now lost nine consecutive games heading into the final weekend.
 
The Greensboro Gargoyles returned to First Horizon Coliseum on Friday night for the first time in nearly four weeks and mounted a spirited comeback, but fell just short in a 5-4 loss to the Worcester Railers. Greg Smith opened the scoring on Greensboro’s first shot, with Josh Groll picking up his first point as a Gargoyle, but Worcester responded with three first-period goals and built a 5-1 lead early in the second. Drew Kuzma ignited the rally, recording the first Gordie Howe Hat Trick in franchise history with a fight, two goals, and an assist, while Nate Hanley and Austen May helped power a three-goal push to bring Greensboro within one. The Gargoyles nearly completed the comeback in the final seconds, but a last-second defensive play preserved the Railers’ win. Kuzma finished with a career-high three points, Hanley recorded his first multi-point game, and Groll added two assists, while Ruslan Khazheyev made 27 saves.
 
On Saturday, the Gargoyles honored the legacy of the Greensboro Monarchs in a throwback night that saw a tight, defensive battle end in a 3-1 loss to Worcester. After a scoreless first period, the Railers broke through midway in the second and carried a 1-0 lead into the third. Greg Smith tied the game early in the final frame with his second goal in as many nights, assisted by Blake Swetlikoff and Caleb Price, but Worcester answered with the go-ahead goal in the final five minutes before adding an empty-netter. Khazheyev turned aside 37 shots in the effort as Greensboro went 0-for-1 on the power play and 1-for-1 on the penalty kill.
 
The weekend concluded Sunday with the Railers completing the sweep in an 8-1 decision. Worcester opened the scoring with a shorthanded goal late in the first and extended the lead with three goals in the second before erupting for four more in the opening 6:40 of the third to build an 8-0 advantage. Greensboro avoided the shutout with a late power play goal from Blake Dangos, assisted by Blake Humphrey and Nick DeSantis. Mason Beaupit made 31 saves in net, while the Gargoyles finished 1-for-4 on the power play and 2-for-3 on the penalty kill as the team closed out a challenging three-game set.
 
ON DECK
The Gargoyles finish the regular season against the Norfolk Admirals. Greensboro and Norfolk have already met nine times, and will close the season with 12. The first three series have been evenly split, with the Admirals holding a narrow edge. Greensboro is 4-4-1 in the first nine meetings, the Admirals are 5-4 after an overtime victory in the last meeting on March 22.
 
The Norfolk Admirals are 14th in the Eastern Conference with 60 points, 28-37-4 coming off a three game skid after being swept on the road by the Maine Mariners. Brady Fleurent leads the Admirals with 59 points in 67 games. Kristoff Papp has 14 points in nine games against the Gargoyles, with three separate three-point games. Ben Zloty leads the Admirals blue line with 31 points (6G, 25A) in 43 games. Isaac Poulter remains the workhorse goaltender, with seven starts over the Admirals last nine games and 41 appearances this season. Poulter has recorded 23 of the Admirals 28 wins with a 2.82 goals against average and a .903 save percentage.
 
The Gargoyles have 43 points this season with a 18-44-7 overall record. Greg Smith scored two goals in the series against Worcester, now leading the active roster with 13 goals and 24 points this season. Since the trade deadline, between moves and AHL call-ups, the Gargoyles are without their top eight scoring players. Arty Borshyov leads Gargoyles defenseman with 21 points (3G, 18A) from the blue line. Ruslan Khazheyev has played in 38 games this season, posting a 3.59 goals against average and a .891 save percentage. Greensboro scored three power play goals on Friday, boosting their power play to 15.9 percent this season. The penalty kill is 76.5 percent.
 
ROSTER TRANSACTIONS, LAST 10 DAYS
April 6: Casey Severo (F) released from ATO
April 8: Caden Brown (F) signed to SPC
April 8: Nick DeSantis (F) signed to SPC
April 9: David Gagnon (F) recalled by AHL Chicago Wolves
April 9: Ethan Leyh (F), Braden Doyle (D) loaned to AHL Chicago Wolves
April 9: Mason Beaupit (G) signed to SPC
April 10: Blake Humphrey (F) signed to SPC
April 11: Zach White (F) signed to SPC
April 11: Ayodele Adeniye (D) signed to SPC
April 12: Roman Kraemer (F) signed to SPC
April 15: Bryan Huggins (F) signed to SPC
 
PLAYER MILESTONES
Drew Kuzma recorded three points on Friday night, with two goals and an assist, marking his second career multi-goal game, his first career three-point game, and becoming the first Gargoyle to record a Gordie Howe Hat Trick.