SAVANNAH, Ga. — The Savannah Ghost Pirates, proud ECHL affiliate of the Florida Panthers, fell short in a 3–2 battle against the Orlando Solar Bears on Saturday night at Enmarket Arena.
Orlando opened the scoring 7:46 into the first period when Reece Newkirk buried the rebound of a Tyler Bird chance on a 2-on-0 rush, giving the Solar Bears a 1–0 lead.
Just 21 seconds into the second period, the same tandem connected again as Newkirk scored on an odd-man rush to make it 2–0, with Bird collecting the lone assist.
The Solar Bears extended the lead to 3–0 with 6:00 left in the frame when Anthony Bardaro redirected a pass at the top of the crease for a power-play goal.
Savannah broke through at 17:26 of the second period when Ryan Sullivan ripped home his first goal of the season from the high slot. Matt Koopman and Chris Lipe earned the assists, trimming the deficit to 3–1 entering the third.
The Ghost Pirates pulled within one when Nicholas Zabaneh set up Cole Krygier for a shorthanded strike from the left side, cutting the Orlando lead to 3–2.
Savannah generated pressure late but could not find the equalizer as Orlando held on for the win.
Jon Gillies stopped 34 of 36 shots in the victory, while Michael Simpson made 15 saves on 18 shots for Savannah.
The Ghost Pirates wrap up the weekend tomorrow afternoon in a rematch with the Solar Bears. 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 about upcoming games, visit ghostpirateshockey.com.
— GHOST PIRATES —
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