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Fans of the Savannah Ghost Pirates cheer during a pregame ceremony at Enmarket Arena, shortly before the team played its inaugural home game.
Credit: Benjamin Payne / GPB News
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All woo, no boo: Savannah Ghost Pirates sail to victory in ECHL hockey team's first-ever home game
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LISTEN: The Savannah Ghost Pirates on Saturday night lived up to the hype that comes with being the league's newest team, as they won their franchise home opener before a sold-out crowd. GPB's Benjamin Payne reports.
Professional hockey can be hard to come by in Georgia, but not if you're in the Hostess City of the South.
There, at Savannah's new Enmarket Arena on Saturday night, a sea of lime-green glowsticks lit up the stands shortly before the Ghost Pirates took the ice to play their first home game in franchise history.
And it was one to remember, as the Ghost Pirates spooked the Greenville Swamp Rabbits into submission, taking a 5-1 victory before a sold-out crowd of nearly 7,000 people.
But it took some time for the Ghost Pirates to get going, after a scoreless first period left fans anxiously waiting for the newest team in the ECHL (formerly known as the East Coast Hockey League) to record its first-ever goal on home ice.
Their patience was rewarded a few minutes into the second period, when Ghost Pirates forward Spencer Naas stole the puck in the Swamp Rabbits' own zone and netted a low wrist shot past Greenville goalie David Hrenak.
“That's something that obviously I would have been happy with anyone [on the team] getting, but I was pretty happy to get it,” Naas said after the game about notching the Ghost Pirates' first goal on home ice. “And I have my parents here and a couple buddies here tonight, so that made it just that much more special.”
With nerves at ease having marked that franchise milestone, the team loosened up — and it clearly showed, as only one minute would pass by before defenseman Brandon Estes capitalized on a breakaway to make it 2-0, en route to an additional three goals by the Ghost Pirates.
But for all the scoring, perhaps no one was on their A-game as much as Ghost Pirates goalie Isaiah Saville, who blocked all but one of Greenville's 33 shots on goal, coming close to shutting out the Swamp Rabbits until they managed to sneak one by him with just under three minutes left in the game.
“It was incredible; it was really fun to play in,” Saville said after the game about the home crowd. “You can definitely tell the energy helps us a lot. So, to all the fans, keep that going.”
Among the 6,876 ticketed fans in attendance were first-time hockey game goers Auburn McCrary of Savannah and her friend Heather Boman, who made the drive from Fort Payne, Ala.
“I'm just a big sports person, so I really like the different experience,” McCrary said. “I'm definitely going to come back.”
So too said Sam Wilson of Statesboro, who hadn't been to a hockey game in years before the Ghost Pirates' home opener.
“I grew up in Mississippi, where there's not a lot of hockey,” Wilson said. “So, having something close by is amazing. This was way better than I ever thought it would be. Having something like this in our backyard has far exceeded my expectations.”
Mirroring the final score, the Ghost Pirates advanced to a 5-1 record in their inaugural season, with their next game at home on Thursday against the Florida Everblades.
Only one other Georgia team competes in the ECHL — the Atlanta Gladiators of northeast suburban Duluth — with another expected to hit the ice in Athens as early as next season.
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