SAVANNAH, Ga. — The Savannah Ghost Pirates, proud ECHL affiliate of the Florida Panthers, fell to the Florida Everblades 4–2 on Saturday evening at Enmarket Arena.
Florida opened the scoring at the 15:21 mark of the first period when Anthony Romano and Oliver Chau connected with Craig Needham, who finished the rush to make it 1–0.
Savannah responded late in the period, tying the game with 1:13 remaining when Nicholas Zabaneh forced a turnover and found Riley Hughes at the doorstep. Hughes backhanded the puck home to knot the score at 1–1.
The Everblades regained the lead just 2:38 into the second period with a shorthanded goal, as Romano broke in alone and converted on a breakaway to make it 2–1.
Florida extended its lead on the power play when Tarun Fizer put away the rebound off a Zach Berzolla shot, pushing the advantage to 3–1.
The Ghost Pirates pulled within one when Josh Davies fired a shot from the left circle to cut the deficit to 3–2. Chris Lipe and Connor Gregga recorded the assists.
Savannah’s comeback bid was halted 5:36 into the third period when Fizer stole the puck and scored on a breakaway, backhanding it through the five-hole to make it 4–2.
Florida shut the door the rest of the way to secure the victory. Will Cranley earned the win, stopping 37 of 39 shots. Vinnie Purpura took the loss in relief, turning aside 26 of 30. Michael Simpson stopped all six shots he faced before leaving the game due to injury.
The Ghost Pirates wrap up the weekend and the series against the Florida Everblades tomorrow afternoon for the Teddy Bear Toss. Puck drop is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. Fans can stream the game live on FloHockey or listen on Mixlr. For tickets and more information, visit ghostpirateshockey.com.
— GHOST PIRATES —
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