GREENSBORO, N.C. — The Savannah Ghost Pirates, proud ECHL affiliate of the Florida Panthers, erased a third-period deficit to defeat the Greensboro Gargoyles 3–2 on Wednesday evening.
Both teams were held scoreless through the opening 20 minutes as Savannah successfully killed two penalties in the period, including 16 seconds of 5-on-3 time.
The Ghost Pirates broke the deadlock 4:49 into the second period when Bryce Brodzinski poked the puck free from a Greensboro skater, allowing Ryan Sullivan to finish from the left side to give Savannah a 1–0 lead.
Greensboro answered late in the frame with 1:19 remaining as Patrick Newell forced a turnover and fed Ethan Leyh on a 2-on-0 rush, with Leyh converting to tie the game at 1–1.
The Gargoyles took their first lead at the 12:43 mark of the third period when Wade Murphy took the puck below the goal line and centered a pass to David Gagnon, who made it 2–1.
Savannah responded on a late power play when Dennis Cesana kept the puck in the zone and found Logan Drevitch open in front. Drevitch backhanded the puck home to even the score at 2–2.
The Ghost Pirates completed the comeback shortly after when Greensboro was unable to clear the zone, allowing Riley Hughes to fire the game-winning goal past the goaltender to make it 3–2. Eamon Powell recorded the lone assist on the winner.
Vinnie Purpura earned his first victory in a Savannah uniform, stopping 23 of 25 shots. Nikita Quapp made 25 saves on 28 shots in the loss.
The Ghost Pirates return to Enmarket Arena on Friday to open a three-game series against the Florida Everblades. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 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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