SAVANNAH, Ga. — The Savannah Ghost Pirates started off their third season in franchise history with a 4-1 victory over the Indy Fuel.
Fourteen of Savannah’s 20 skaters made their Ghost Pirates debuts, as did head coach Jared Staal and assistant coach Brenden Kotyk.
Riese Gaber wasted no time getting acclimated to the ECHL, scoring 3:35 into his first appearance with the Ghost Pirates. The University of North Dakota alum finished off a tremendous centering pass from Will Riedell, giving Savannah a 1-0 lead.
Gaber scored 18 goals in 40 games with the Fighting Hawks in 2023-24 and was nominated for the Hobey Baker Award. Reece Vitelli picked up the secondary assist.
Kyle Jeffers potted home his first goal of the season at 19:03 of the first period, doubling the home team’s lead. Keaton Pehrson and Evan Nause collected the assists. Jeffers scored six goals in 19 outings with the Ghost Pirates following two seasons at Lindenwood University.
Liam Arnsby joined the goal-scoring brigade 25 seconds later, pounding a rebound past a sprawling Ben Gaudreau. Dennis Cesana and Ross Armour combined for a great give-and-go leading up to Arnsby’s tally.
Like Gaber, the 20-year-old scored in his first professional game. The Ajax, ON, native played the past three seasons in the Ontario Hockey League with the North Bay Battalion.
Following a goalless second period, Dennis Cesana provided the exclamation point with a goal at 7:55. Graham McPhee picked off a pass in the defensive zone and sent Gaber up ahead, allowing the forward to drop the puck to a trailing Cesana. Cesana’s shot popped the water bottle off the back of the net.
Adam McCormick spoiled Evan Cormier’s shutout with 33.2 seconds remaining in the third period, but the Ghost Pirates cruised to a 4-1 win over the Fuel.
Savannah was 2-for-2 on the penalty kill and 0-for-4 on the power play.
Cormier was stellar throughout the night, making 28 saves in his first win in a Ghost Pirates sweater. The 26-year-old netminder posted a 10-7-3 record with the Florida Everblades last season.
Staal recorded his first win as a head coach in the ECHL; he spent the past two seasons as the assistant coach of the American Hockey League's Charlotte Checkers.
Savannah will head to Orlando for a Saturday night tilt with the Solar Bears at Kia Center. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET. Coverage can be found on FloHockey and Mixlr.
-GHOST PIRATES-
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