SAVANNAH— Before a loud and lively Friday night crowd, two goals in a twenty-five-second span in the opening period’s final minute propelled the Savannah Ghost Pirates to a 4-1 victory over the Indy Fuel in the 2024-25 ECHL season opener for both teams.
Prior to keeping intact their perfect record in home openers (3-0-0-0), the Ghost Pirates held a moment of silence for Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau.
For Ghost Pirates rookie head coach Jared Staal, 34, who had paid his dues for five years as both an AHL and ECHL assistant, it was a satisfying start to what he hopes will be long career behind the bench.
He retired in 2017 as an active player after seven years in minor pro hockey, the highlight coming when he realized his NHL dream by playing in two NHL games for the Carolina Hurricanes in 2013. In his very first game, at PNC Arena in Raleigh on April 25, he lined up on right wing for the opening faceoff alongside older brothers, Eric, on left wing, and Jordan, at center. (A third older brother, Marc, a defenseman, was then in the employ of the New York Rangers.)
“Tonight was a weird game,” Staal said afterwards. “Both teams had a lot of odd-man rushes, which was not intended. I was not thrilled with our structure, but it was our first game. There are plenty of things we need to clean up.”
Now in their third ECHL season, but first as an affiliate of the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers, this was the Ghost Pirates’ first-ever meeting with the Fuel. With Panthers director of goaltending development Leo Luongo looking on, the hosts got stronger once they found their skating legs after a tentative opening ten minutes. Regardless, they led 1-0 after tallying on their second shot of the contest when forward Riese Gaber converted a bang-bang feed from Will Riedell in close against Indy netminder Ben Gaudreau. (No relation to the Gaudreau brothers.)
When Kyle Jeffers had the puck deflect in off his skate (a sequence upheld upon video review) at 19:03, followed by Liam Arnsby finishing a beautiful three-way, tic-tac-toe passing play at 19:28, Savannah’s 3-0 margin had changed the game’s complexion.
Ghost Pirates’ goaltender Evan Cormier was stout in the first period by denying all eight Fuel shots, several from close range. After rearguard Dennis Cesana upped the count to 4-0 by picking the top corner over Gaudreau’s glove at 7:55 of the third period, the outcome was sealed. Cormier’s shutout bid ended with 33 seconds remaining when defenseman Adam McCormick scored on a wrist shot from the left point.
Both teams finished with 29 shots on goal apiece.
The ice surface featured light green goal posts and crossbars with every faceoff circle outlined in that color.
Making his debut wearing the “C” as the second captain in team history was forward Logan Drevitch, 26, of Middleborough, Mass. An original Ghost Pirate and their leading scorer last year (19-33-52), he captained his junior team, the Bridgewater (Mass.) Bandits (a.k.a., the Boston Bandits). That was followed by tours of duty over two seasons with the Muskegon Lumberjacks and Tri-City Storm of the USHL, prior to four years at Merrimack College (Hockey East).
Drevitch termed the pregame locker room mood light. “The guys were having fun getting ready for opening night. Our fans were awesome. I think the boys played well, and after we got the lead, we tried to stay ‘on it’ from there,” he said.
Evidencing a wide postgame grin, Staal admitted to a few nerves at the start. In attendance were his family (wife, Natalie, and children Hudson and Ella), and eldest brother, Eric, who recently retired from the NHL, and his family (wife, Tanya, and their three sons). Eric was a key member of the Carolina Hurricanes 2006 Stanley Cup championship run.
Now having the benefit of seven days off prior to a weekend home-and-home set against the Orlando Solar Bears, for whom he served as assistant coach for three seasons prior to two more with the Charlotte Checkers, the Panthers’ AHL affiliate, Jared Staal said he intends to put his team through “several good practices plus watching a lot of video. We have a long season ahead.”
Spoken like a true head coach intent upon writing his own chapter in the Staal family’s estimable hockey legacy.
And the youngest shall lead them.
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