Duluth, GA – The Savannah Ghost Pirates defeated the Atlanta Gladiators 2-1 on Saturday night at Gas South Arena in the latest edition of the Battle of Georgia. The game winning goal was scored off a deflection by Savannah’s Tristan Amonte with 12:21 to play.

The Gladiators and Ghost Pirates met for the ninth time this season on Saturday night, with Atlanta looking to keep pace with South Carolina for 2^nd in the division and Savannah aiming to boost its lead over Greenville for the final playoff spot in the South. T.J. Semptimphelter started in net for the Gladiators, while Vinnie Purpura got the nod for the Ghost Pirates.

Atlanta opened the game with a power play opportunity just 1:04 into the first but did not convert. The game saw 4v4 action 7:17 with Peter Laviolette and Jack O’Brien both going to the box, but neither side was able to make the most of the open ice. The Gladiators had another power play opportunity with 7:44 left in the first, but did not score on that chance either. It ended up being another scoreless tie after one period of play, the 18^th time the Gladiators have been featured in a scoreless first period. Atlanta led the shot count 8-7 after 20 minutes.

The game began to open up a bit in the second period, with both teams taking more shots than in the first. Multiple penalties on the Gladiators set up the Ghost Pirates with a 5v3 power play mid with 5:57 left in the period, with Adam Eisele and Joey Cipollone in the box. The Gladiators were able to kill of the first sentence, and with Eisele out of the box, finally found the opening goal of the game. Carson Denomie created a turnover and found Eisele moving up the ice. Eisele rifled a rocket past Purpura for a shorthanded goal with 4:03 left in the second. The Gladiators were buzzing after the shorthanded goal, their 11^th of the season, but the Ghost Pirates were ready to respond. Just 1:26 after Eisele’s goal, Jaxsen Wiebe drove toward the net and was able to push in a loose puck to tie the game at 1-1. The period concluded with a 1-1 tie, with the Gladiators outshooting the Ghost Pirates 25-23.

Ryley Appelt took care of business to open the third period, fighting Savannah’s Peter Laviolette 3:07 into the final frame. Ethan Scardina was called for interference 6:25 into the period putting Savannah on the power play, on which they would score the eventual game winning goal. A shot by Will Riedell was deflected in by Tristan Amonte 6:39 into the period to give Savannah a 2-1 lead. Despite the Gladiators having some time to work with, and even a 5v3 power play lasting 75 seconds late in regulation, they were unable to tie the game and Savannah won 2-1. Atlanta went 0/7 on the power play in the loss and 3/4 on the penalty kill. Semptimphelter stopped 27/29 and Purpura 35/36, as both netminders put on a clinic in this low scoring affair. 

With the loss, it became official that the Gladiators will meet the South Carolina Stingrays in the first round of the 2026 Kelly Cup Playoffs. With 5 games remaining, Atlanta will turn its attention to capturing the second seed in the division and securing home ice advantage in the first round.

The Gladiators host the Ghost Pirates in a rematch of the Battle of Georgia on Tuesday night at Gas South Arena. Puck drop is set for 7:10 PM, get your tickets HERE and join the battle today!