Glads Clinch Playoff Berth with 4-3 Win Over Ghost Pirates

The Atlanta Gladiators are heading to the postseason.

Atlanta knocked off the Savannah Ghost Pirates 4-3 on Sunday afternoon at Enmarket Arena, tying a season-high with three power-play goals in the process. Combined with Greenville’s loss in Jacksonville, the win officially punches the Gladiators’ ticket to the 2026 Kelly Cup Playoffs.

It was the final leg of a grueling 3-in-3 weekend, but Atlanta showed no signs of slowing down.

T.J. Semptimphelter got the start in net for the Gladiators, while Noah Giesbrecht took the crease for Savannah. The opening period felt like a feeling-out process, with both teams trading chances but neither able to break through early. Savannah had a power-play opportunity midway through the period, but Atlanta’s penalty kill stood tall. Even a brief stretch of 4-on-4 hockey couldn’t crack the deadlock.

Just when it looked like the first period would end scoreless, Carson Denomie changed that in a hurry.

Denomie forced a turnover on the forecheck and wasted no time capitalizing, firing the puck past Giesbrecht with just 38 seconds left in the period. His eighth goal of the season gave Atlanta a 1-0 lead heading into the intermission and injected some momentum into the Gladiators’ bench.

The second period turned into a back-and-forth battle.

Savannah evened things up at 1-1 on the power play, as Christophe Tellier cut to the net and buried his eighth of the season 8:18 into the period. But Atlanta didn’t stay quiet for long. Just over a minute later, Isak Walther restored the lead at 2-1, finishing off a beautiful cross-ice feed from Cody Sylvester. The goal marked Walther’s 21st of the season, while Chad Nychuk picked up his 41st assist of the year—tying the Gladiators’ single-season record for assists by a defenseman.

Midway through the period, the momentum swung again.

Ryley Appelt was assessed a match penalty after attempting to engage Logan Drevitch, leading to a lengthy five-minute power play for Savannah. The Ghost Pirates capitalized, as Will Riedell found the back of the net with 7:33 remaining to tie the game at 2-2.

But once again, Atlanta had an answer—this time late in the period.

With just 15 seconds remaining, Mike McNamee ripped home a power-play goal, his sixth of the season, off feeds from Brendan Less and Mickey Burns to give the Gladiators a 3-2 edge heading into the third.

The back-and-forth didn’t stop there.

Savannah tied things up early in the third period when Nicholas Zabaneh capitalized on a rebound just 2:17 in, knotting the game at 3-3 with his 23rd goal of the season.

Then came the moment that defined the afternoon.

Midway through the period, Isak Walther drew a penalty that set up a crucial 5-on-3 advantage for Atlanta. The Gladiators didn’t waste it. Joey Cipollone stepped into a shot from the left circle and fired a rocket past Giesbrecht, with assists from Jack O’Brien and McNamee, to give Atlanta a 4-3 lead.

That marked the fourth time the Gladiators had taken the lead in the game—and this time, they made it stick.

Semptimphelter shut the door the rest of the way, finishing with 29 saves on 32 shots, while Giesbrecht stopped 21 of 25 for Savannah. Atlanta’s special teams proved to be the difference, as the Gladiators went 3-for-6 on the power play and 6-for-8 on the penalty kill.

With the win, the Gladiators not only completed a hard-fought weekend but also secured their spot in the postseason.

Now, with playoff hockey officially on the horizon, Atlanta returns home Thursday to host the Orlando Solar Bears at Gas South Arena. With positioning still up for grabs, the Gladiators will be looking to keep the momentum rolling and push for home ice in the first round.