DULUTH, Ga. - The Atlanta Thrashers (24-24-5-2) took down the Savannah Ghost Pirates (25-25-2-0) by a final score of 3-0 on Saturday night, at Gas South Arena, in Duluth, Georgia.
Drew DeRidder was between the pipes for the Thrashers, while Keith Kinkaid started for the Savannah Ghost Pirates.
Atlanta wasted little time getting on the board, as Carson Denomie (9th), took the puck behind the net, centered to the front, and got a friendly bounce off of a Ghost Pirate to open the scoring at 1:59. Ryan Cranford had the lone assist on the goal.
Though Keith Kinkaid surrendered an early goal against, both he and Drew DeRidder were solid during the remainder of the first. Keith Kinkaid recorded 14 saves, while DeRidder stopped 10 of 10.
In the second period, the Thrashers came out red hot, applying immense pressure to their Peach State rivals early.
At 3:12, Atlanta broke through again, as Chad Nychuk (5th) scored his fourth goal in his last four games, by depositing a loose puck at the side of the Savannah net.
In the final frame, the Thrashers, behind their goaltender, held strong to secure the two points and the shutout for Drew DeRidder.
In the dying seconds of regulation time, defenseman Andrew Jarvis (5th) iced the game with an empty-netter from his own zone.
Drew DeRidder earned his third shutout in an Atlanta sweater, making 30 saves on 30 Savannah shots on goal. Keith Kinkaid, in the loss, denied 35 of 37.
“It was a good response after Sunday in Greenville,” head coach Derek Nesbitt said. “After a tough game, we bounced back, which is something we have done after some tough games this year. In terms of our start, we came out hard, physical, and everybody was engaged. It wasn’t just one or two guys. Drew [DeRidder] was fantastic, our special teams, though we didn’t score, gave us momentum, and we got some dirty goals, which we definitely need more of.”
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