Early Strike Proves Costly as Gladiators Fall 3–2 in Savannah

The Atlanta Gladiators came up just short Saturday night at Enmarket Arena, falling 3–2 to the Savannah Ghost Pirates despite a strong push to climb back into the game.

The matchup marked the second half of a home-and-home series, with the scene shifting to Savannah after the Ghost Pirates claimed a 5–2 win in Duluth on Friday. Both teams turned to different netminders, as Vinnie Purpura got the start for Savannah while T.J. Semptimphelter took the crease for Atlanta.

Savannah set the tone early, scoring twice in the opening seven minutes. Noah Carroll opened the scoring 2:44 into the game with a shot from the left point that found its way through traffic. Just over four minutes later, Liam Walsh tipped home a puck to make it 2–0.

The Ghost Pirates continued to generate chances, but the Gladiators settled in and found a late response before the intermission. With 1:29 remaining in the first, Jack O’Brien buried a chance in tight off a feed from Carson Denomie, cutting the deficit to 2–1 heading into the break.

Savannah regained a two-goal cushion early in the second period when Nicholas Zabaneh scored on the power play 3:38 into the frame. The game then took on a more physical edge, highlighted by a fight between Carson Denomie and Logan Drevitch, as Atlanta continued to look for momentum.

That push came in the third period.

The Gladiators controlled much of the play, generating quality looks while limiting Savannah’s opportunities. Peter Morgan pulled Atlanta within one at the 8:10 mark, scoring his second goal of the season off assists from Ryan Nolan and Ethan Scardina to make it 3–2.

Atlanta pressed late for the equalizer, but Purpura turned aside multiple Grade-A chances, coming up with several highlight-reel saves to preserve the win.

Semptimphelter finished the night with 26 saves on 29 shots, while Purpura stopped 25 of 27 for Savannah. The Gladiators went 0-for-2 on the power play and 1-for-2 on the penalty kill, and were outshot 29–27.

The Gladiators return to action Saturday night in Greenville, kicking off a three-in-three stretch. Atlanta will then return home for back-to-back games on January 18 and 19.