The Savannah Ghost Pirates finished out their second season in sixth place for the Southern Division, missing a spot in playoffs again. This season was full of new surprises, twists and turns, and fun and meaningful events that brought the city of Savannah together. The Ghost Pirates continue to develop their strength and skills as a team, and they will fight hard again next year for a spot in the playoffs.
Meet the Leaders:
There were a ton of skaters wearing Ghost Pirate Green this year. Some were familiar faces from last year, some came down from the SGP’s big sib team in Henderson, and others from different teams in the league. Finishing out on top in terms of points were Logan Drevitch (52), Simon Pinard (48), Brent Pederson (43), Keltie Jeri-Leon and Ross Armour (35), and Nolan Valleau (33). In terms of lamp-lighting leaders, the top five sharp-shooters included Pinard(24), Pederson (22), Drevitch (19), Alex Gilmour (15), and a tie between Vincent Marleau and Jordan Kaplan (14). There is a very clean consistency between the leaders in offensive stats for the Ghost Pirates this season. For instance, looking at the players with the most shots taken, it can be seen that four of the top five also lead in shots and/or goals. Drevtich was on top with 219, followed by Pederson with 203, Jeri-Leon with 148, and Pinard, who had 143. The fifth was defenseman Brandon Estes, who took 130 shots throughout the season.
The two statistical categories that mostly fall under the defensive side are assists and PIM. Leading in assists was Logan Drevitch (33), Nolan Valleau (27), Brandon Estes and Ross Armour (25), and Simon Pinard (24). Now, for the part most fans find interesting, it’s the penalty minutes. The top four players with the most time spent in the box are not much of a surprise, with Anthony Collins (140), Joe Fleming (122), team captain Matt Boudens (117), and Logan Drevitch (90).
The protectors of Savannah’s goal, the goalies who played most, were Jesper Vikman, Michael Bullion, and Jordan Papirny. Bullion led in wins (15), shutouts (4), minutes played (1753), and save percentage (0.908). Papirny had eight wins and a save percentage of 0.881 in the 1090 minutes he played. Finally, Jesper Vikman, who came to Savannah from Henderson, had seven wins, including a shutout and a save percentage of 0.899 in his 898 minutes played for the Ghost Pirates.
For more fun content relevant to the players of this season in Savannah, stay tuned for my “Savannah Superlatives.”
Opponent Highlights:
The Savannah Ghost Pirates faced all the same foes in their division and three different teams they have never played against before. Playing against the Norfolk Admirals and Trois-Rivieres Lions one time each, the Ghost Pirates prevailed against both. They also won in their three games against the Rapid City Rush.
In terms of the opponents Savannah is familiar with facing, the Ghost Pirates played best against the Atlanta Gladiators and South Carolina Stingrays, with a 64% win rate this season. When matched up against the Orlando Solar Bears, Savannah won four of their nine matchups, three of the fourteen against the Greenville Swamp Rabbits, two out of fourteen against the Jacksonville Icemen, and four out of twelve against the Florida Everblades. The new team still has much to work on, but a vast amount of improvement can be seen from this season.
Key Memorable Events:
So many grand events happened this season in Savannah. Michael Bullion tied with two other ECHL goalies for the most shutouts this season. They hosted the ECHL All-Star Classic in January. The Ghost Pirates hosted several special-themed games, like Marvel Night featuring Rocket Raccoon, Warner Bros Night with Marvin the Martian, Hockey Fights Cancer, and Military Appreciation. Since a large portion of Savannah’s population is made up of veterans and Hunter Army Airfield is a significant, historic, and local airbase, Military Appreciation is a highly significant event that the entire city celebrates with great importance.
Once again, the Savannah Ghost Pirates have had a great season and showed lots of improvements all around, but especially in goaltending. There is a lot to look forward to for next season, especially for a potential spot in the playoffs. The Ghost Pirates have yet to make an appearance in the Kelly Cup playoffs, and with how much growth they have shown as a team this season, they have a lot of potential to clinch a spot next season.
