Brandon Buck put on a one-man show Tuesday night at Germain Arena with a three-goal effort, but it wasn't enough as the Florida Everblades lost to the Gwinnett Gladiators 4-3.

"It's a shame because we played a pretty good game," said Blades coach Malcolm Cameron. "We played pretty good up until that last minute of the third period.

It took 19 minutes for either team to score, and it was the Gladiators who drew first blood, scoring twice in the final minute of the first period against Blades goaltender Chris Beckford-Tseu (30 saves) for a 2-0 lead.

The second period belonged to Buck as he and linemates Ross Carlson and Shay Guthrie took control. Buck's first goal came midway through the period after Carlson fed him a pass on the power play. Buck fired it through the five-hole of Gladiator netminder Danny Taylor to get the Blades on the board.

Carlson then sent a perfect centering pass to Buck, who was perched in front of Taylor (25 saves), to tie the game 2-2 three minutes before the second intermission.

Buck wasn't finished. He completed his first career hat trick with less than 40 seconds to go in the period, this time with Guthrie recording the primary assist.

"It was just one of those nights where everything seemed to be going well for me," said Buck. "It's not a wasted effort, but at the same time it is disappointing."

With a last-minute push in the final period, the Gladiators tied the game to send it into overtime, guaranteeing at least a point for the home team.

In the end, the Gladiators sent the crowd of almost 4,000 fans home disappointed.

The Blades and Gladiators skate again Wednesday night at Germain Arena. The puck drops at 7:35 p.m.