Overturned in overtime: the Glads extend the game to overtime, but come away with a 3-2 loss against the Ghost Pirates
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Savannah Ghost Pirates (32-31-3-1/68 points/4th place in the ECHL South) vs Atlanta Gladiators (42-22-2-1/87 points/3rd place in the ECHL South)
Tonight's game (April 7, 2026/puck drop at 7:10pm EST at the Gas South District) between the Savannah Ghost Pirates and Atlanta Gladiators features in-state rivals fighting for something meaningful as the regular season grinds closer to its end and ushering in the postseason.
The Ghost Pirates come in on a modest 2-game winning streak, including the first game of the 2-game series with the Glads. They currently hold a 5 point lead for 4th place and securing the final playoff spot in the division (as the top-4 teams in each division make the playoffs/16 teams overall) and with a win tonight, can create even more distance between their closest competitor, the Jacksonville Ice Men (5th place/63 points). With an offense averaging just under 3 goals per game (2.91 goals per game), leading scorers Nicholas Zabaneh (24 goals/22 assists/46 points.-9 rating) and Bryce Brodzinski (14 goals/26 assists/40 points/-5 rating) look to earn the sweep against Atlanta and their 5th rated scoring defense (allowing 2.46 goals per game).
On the flipside, while Atlanta has clinched a playoff spot, snapping their current losing streak can go a long way in a short amount of time. While they have a game in hand over the 2nd place South Carolina Stingrays (they have a 90-87 edge in points, but have 4 games left compared to Atlanta's 5), they'll rely on Alex Young (27 goals/32 assists/59 points/+6 rating) and Chad Nychuk (8 goals/45 assists/53 points/+17 rating) to set the tone for the offense (who comes in averaging 2.87 goals per game) against a feisty Savannah defense (as they allow 2.88 goals per game).
With playoff positioning at stake and so few regular season games and chances left, it only provides a renewal and added vigor to an already intense in-state and division rivalry.
Recap: A playoff-type game between ECHL South rivals results in an overtime loss for the Gladiators.
Vinnie Purpura (20-15-0-1/2.58 goals allowed average/.917 save percentage) draws the start for the Savannah Ghost Pirates while Ethan Haider (22-11-1-1/2.43 goals allowed average/.922 save percentage) is "between the pipes" for the Atlanta Gladiators.
After intercepting a pass in the Glads' zone, the Ghost Pirates' Peter Laviolette notches his 2nd goal of the season (4:32 in the 1st period/unassisted) to jump out to a 1-0 lead.
After a scoreless 2nd period, the Glads' recent signing of a familiar face comes through. Long-time Gladiator Eric Neiley (who comes out of retirement for the 2025-26 season and is resigned by the team on April 6th) scores his 1st goal of the season (4:55 in the 3rd period/unassisted) to even the score at 1.
After that, the intensity level for both teams exponentially increases.
Nick Granowicz's goal at the 16:06 mark of the 3rd period (his 12th of the year/assisted by Matt Koopman and Ivan Chukarov) allows the Ghost Pirates to regain the lead (2-1). Once the game gets inside of 2 minutes left in the period, Atlanta pulls their goaltender (Haider) for an extra skater, and literally 10 or so seconds later (18:27 mark of the 3rd period), Jack O'Brien delivers the game-tying goal (his 28th of season/assisted by Brendan Less and Adan Eisele) to tie the game at 2.
A late penalty on Eric Neiley for delay of game (as his effort to clear the zone results in the puck going into the stands/out of play) results in a power play opportunity for Savannah at the 19:58 of the 3rd period. Shortly into the overtime period (0:53), Logan Drevitch's shot slithers away from Ethan Haider resulting in his 9th of the season (assisted by Dennis Cesana and Reece Vitelli as a power play goal), giving them a 3-2 win and a sweep of the 2-game series.
Post-game: Atlanta competes at a solid level, but drops their 4th game in a row.
The Gladiators do their usual sound job of competing, but another slow start has them battling uphill for a considerable part of the game. They are slightly outshot (27-23) and outscored on the power play (they go 0 for 1 while Savannah goes 1 for 2); even though Savannah has more opportunities (including the penalty shot opportunity), Atlanta stays within striking distance, but is unable to close out the Ghost Pirates. Likewise, both Atlanta's Ethan Haider (24 saves on 27 shots) and Savannah's Vinnie Purpura (21 saves on 23 shots) keep their teams in the game and extended play into overtime.
Head Coach Matt Ginn (Atlanta) speaks with the media post-game, as the team's focus remains on doing what they do, making adjustments, and getting off to an improved start (you may watch a segment of his remarks below):
With 4 games left in the season (3 of the games are road games) and just 2 points out of 2nd place, Atlanta looks to snap their current losing streak and return to the win column, along with improving their playoff positioning before their regular season concludes on April 19th.
Notes: You may watch our 2025-26 playlist (click HERE) for additional video snapshots and interviews. Likewise, you may check out our hockey coverage for this season and previous seasons (click HERE). The Glads' last regular season game at home takes place on April 10, 2026 (7:10pm EST puck drop) against the Orlando Solar Bears for Fan Appreciation Night.
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