DULUTH, Ga. - The Atlanta Gladiators (5-3-0-0) finished off the Savannah Ghost Pirates (5-2-2-0) with a 4-3 overtime victory courtesy of Sanghoon Shin's game-winner late into the extra frame. Eric Neiley scored two goals for Atlanta in the win while Derek Topatigh picked up three assists. During the first intermission, the Gladiators retired Derek Nesbitt's number 17 by unfurling his banner in the rafters at Gas South Arena.
First Star: Sanghoon Shin (ATL) - game-winning goal
Second Star: Eric Neiley (ATL) - two goals
Third Star: Derek Topatigh (ATL) - three assists
Atlanta struck on the power play with a historic marker in the first period. On a Derek Topatigh shot from the right circle, Eric Neiley tipped the puck into the net for his 80th career Gladiators goal, sending him past Brad Schell for third in all-time Gladiators goals (3:54).
In the closing seconds of the opening frame, Gabe Guertler applied pressure in the Savannah zone with a solo offensive. After forcing a turnover, Reece Vitelli returned the puck to Guertler who dangled around Ghost Pirates goaltender Isaiah Seville and scored on the backhand to put the Glads up by two (19:51).
After an extended first period intermission in which the Gladiators celebrated longtime captain Derek Nesbitt's number retirement, the Ghost Pirates found their footing with three second-period goals.
Daniel D'Amato scored on a seeing-eye shot from the blue line while Savannah operated on their first power play of the day (2:10). Minutes later, rookie Logan Drevitch scored his first professional goal to tie the game at 2-2 (3:55). Late in the second, Brent Pederson hit the back of the net with his fourth of the season to give the Ghost Pirates their first lead (17:35).
Eric Neiley bagged his second goal of the game with Atlanta shorthanded in the middle of the second to pull the Glads level at 3-3 (5:15). After neither team could gain a step throughout the rest of the third, the game reached overtime for the first time in Atlanta's season.
Both clubs traded chances in the third period, but it was Atlanta's Sanghoon Shin who sent the home crowd into a frenzy late into overtime. Derek Topatigh brought the puck into the offensive zone and hit a streaking Shin in front of the Savannah net for the game-winner (6:40). The assist marked Topatigh's third of the game.
Atlanta goaltender Tyler Parks finished with 44 saves on 47 shots, while Savannah's Seville stopped 44 of 48.
The Gladiators play next against the Florida Everblades on Wednesday, Nov. 16 at 7:30 PM in Estero, Florida.
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