DULUTH — As Gwinnett Gladiators head coach Jeff Pyle walked back into the locker room after his postgame victory speech Monday night, the team had one more reason to celebrate.

Among three players getting called up to the AHL was rookie defenseman Drew Paris. When Pyle announced it, Paris’ teammates cheered loudly for the 21-year-old.

Paris played five games for AHL Rochester after finishing his major junior career last spring, but this is his first call-up after playing 59 games for the Gladiators and being selected as an ECHL All-Star.

Paris is headed to the Toronto Marlies, along with forward Tom Zanoski, for a short stint. Pyle said both were expected back in time for Gwinnett’s trip to Charlotte on Thursday.

Also going to the next level was another rookie defenseman, Nick St. Pierre. He’s headed to Norfolk for a more extended stay, Pyle said.

St. Pierre has been an excellent addition to the Gladiators’ roster since being acquired in a trade with Reading five weeks ago. The product of Colgate University also played five games in the AHL with Gladiators’ affiliate Syracuse earlier this season.

“They were really good,” Pyle said of the Norfolk Admirals. “They wanted him earlier, but they said they’d wait a while because we were short and I respect that a lot.

“They said (even this time), if you don’t want us to take him, we won’t. And I said, ‘No, take him, he deserves it.’”

All three players were factors in Gwinnett’s important 4-3 win Monday night over Cincinnati, the conference’s No. 2 team. The Gladiators remain just out of a playoff spot, but are only two points back with 12 games left in the regular season.

“It’s nobody’s fault but our own that we’re in this position,” Pyle said. “I just hope the guys keep battling.”

Pyle said rookie Pat Galivan was going to be reassigned by AHL Chicago and fellow forward Matt Caruana would be returning from his second call-up to Portland this week.

“So we have a sniff,” Pyle said. “There’s time left. I’ve told the guys, I’m not going to panic.

“This is way less stressful than last year was. Even though we have less guys. Last year around this time we started getting guys back, which is what we need.”

The Gladiators wrapped up a stretch of four games in five days with wins in Florida on Saturday and at home Monday.

They earned a day off the ice Tuesday and it was clear the players appreciated just having to come in to watch some video in the late morning.

Rookie Mike Forney, who was sent back to Gwinnett from AHL Chicago just in time for Monday’s game and helped the Gladiators rally in the second period, grinned like a kid on Christmas when he found out they weren’t meeting until 11 a.m.

“This whole month has just worn on us,” Pyle said. “It’s three pretty long (road) trips and the guys have been playing a lot short-handed. So I can’t even imagine how tired they are. There’s about eight of those guys that I know I’ve been running ragged right now.

“So they stepped up and did what they had to do. At least you’re in it. We’ve got to challenge in these three games in Charlotte and then the rest is pretty much at home.”

The Gladiators are at Charlotte on Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. After that, they just have one more road game — also at Charlotte — and eight at home.