Savannah, GA – The Gladiators defeated the Ghost Pirates 2-1 in thrilling fashion on Saturday night, with Jack Matier scoring the overtime winner with 19.5 seconds left in overtime. 

The Battle of Georgia was renewed on Saturday night at Enmarket Arena in Savannah, with the Ghost Pirates hosting the Gladiators for their second matchup of the season. The Gladiators came to Savannah fresh off a 5-2 win in Jacksonville on Friday night. Ethan Haider made his fifth start of the year for the Gladiators, while Kirill Gerasimyuk made his second start for the Ghost Pirates. 

Savannah leapt out to an early lead as Matt Koopman scored on a cross-crease feed from Nick Granowicz to make it 1-0 Ghost Pirates 2:30 into the first. The Ghost Pirates used their speed to their advantage, creating the odd man rush that led to Koopman’s second of the year. The Gladiators responded 8:51 into the first period, as Alex Young rotated the puck around the offensive zone to Chad Nychuk at the left point, who flung the puck toward the net where it was tipped in by Kalan Lind for the score. Lind’s first professional goal got Atlanta on the board and tied the game at 1-1. The game was tied at the end of one period with Atlanta leading the shot count 15-8.

The second period featured back and forth action but did not produce any scoring. Each team had a chance on the power play but came up empty handed. Savannah outshot Atlanta 11-8 in the second period. 

The third period featured more opportunities for both sides on the man advantage, but neither could convert. Haider and Gerasimyuk put on a show to keep the game tied through regulation. Savannah outshot Atlanta 11-4 in the third period, as the game went to overtime tied at 1-1.

Savannah possessed the puck for much of overtime, but brilliance from Haider and timely defensive plays kept the puck out of the Gladiators net and set them up for chances as overtime went on. Finally, with the clock winding down, Isak Walther drew a penalty and from his knees in the far corner sauced the puck cross ice to Alex Young who located Jack Matier in open space. Matier buried it for his first of the season and the game winning goal, giving Atlanta a thrilling 2-1 victory with 19.5 seconds left on the clock. Ethan Haider stopped 30/31 in the win, while the Gladiators went 0/3 on the power play and 4/4 on the penalty kill. Atlanta outshot Savannah 32-31, with Kirill Gerasimyuk stopping 30/32 in the loss.

The Gladiators improve to 4-0 on the road and 8-1 overall; and will continue their road trip in Charleston on Friday night as they visit the South Carolina Stingrays. Coverage begins at 6:40 EST on FloSports and the Gladiators YouTube channel, with puck drop at 7:00 PM EST.