'Now it's real.' Ghost Pirates fans on hand as team makes Savannah hockey history
GREENVILLE, S.C. — Mark Durden holds the unofficial title of the Savannah Ghost Pirates’ first fan.
He bought season tickets when they first became available. Same goes for the team jersey. He’s been first in line at all the Ghost Pirates’ preseason events.
“So of course I had to come to the first game,” said Durden, a Wilmington Island resident. “I’ve been waiting for this for a long time.”
The Ghost Pirates made Savannah history Saturday night, albeit 200 miles from home. An expansion franchise in pro hockey’s ECHL minor league, Savannah made its debut against the Greenville Swamp Rabbits, winning the game 5-4 in overtime.
Dozens of fluorescent green-clad Ghost Pirates fans joined Durden and his sister, Robin Loper, in haunting the Bon Secours Wellness Arena. Calvin and Russ Foulke traveled north from Richmond Hill. Walter Groat and Chris Baisden came from Pooler. Travis Hermel, a Duluth resident with family in Savannah, came in full costume, complete with a black beard hanging from his chin to his chest.
The turnout spoke to what Savannah Mayor Van Johnson said earlier this week: “The Ghost Pirates are officially a thing.”
"The crowd picked us up; they gave us a lift," Ghost Pirates Coach Rick Bennett said. "Our players were very aware" of the support from the Savannah fans at the game.
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Big anticipation, expectations
The Savannahians were in a festive mood. Vendors and kids games lined the plaza outside the arena, with fans showing up more than an hour before game time. Several of the Ghost Pirates’ faithful were among the early arrivals and were eager to greet and meet their fellow haunters and compare one another’s choice in team merchandise.
“The jersey reveal a few weeks back really brought it home,” Baisden said. “We’ve been talking about this team for almost two years and talking about hockey in Savannah forever. Now it’s real.”
Savannah long flirted with professional hockey. A now defunct league, the Atlantic Coast Hockey League, considered Savannah for an expansion team 20 years ago, even playing a series of regular season games in the Savannah Civic Center arena.
But the Civic Center’s poor sightlines and tight concourses scared off the suitors, and it wasn’t until construction began on what is now called the Enmarket Arena that another hockey league showed serious interest.
The ownership group behind the Jacksonville Icemen, another ECHL franchise, announced the Savannah expansion team in January 2021. The venue was completed and opened in February 2022.
Anticipation for the inaugural season has built steadily since. The Ghost Pirates have sold more than 3,500 season tickets in the 7,000-seat arena and have sold 1,500 more partial season packages.
The Nov. 5 home opener is sold out.
Home opener two weeks away
The Enmarket Arena debut was top of mind for the Ghost Pirates fans who made the trip to the South Carolina upstate. The franchise’s marketing efforts, particularly on social media, has made them a sensation that reminds Groat and Baisden, the Pooler residents, of another popular Savannah sports team, the Bananas.
Said Hermel, the Jack Sparrow lookalike from Duluth, “they’ve done so much to engage the fans before the team even played a game. I love everything they do.”
On the ice Saturday, the Ghost Pirates gave fans plenty to appreciate. The first starting lineup was comprised of Brent Pedersen, Westin Michaud, Lynden McCallum, Connor Corcoran, Will Riedell and goaltender Jordan Papirny.
Pedersen scored the first goal in team history 8 minutes, 44 seconds into the game. Daniel D'Amato scored the winning goal 33 seconds into overtime. McCallum was involved in the Ghost Pirates' first fight 10 seconds into the third period.
The game's outcome was secondary to those who made the four-hour drive to Greenville.
"I’m part of the haunt,” said Heath Moyer, a season ticketholder who lives on Talahi Island. “I’m really looking forward to the home opener and the atmosphere for that.”
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Savannah fans haunt Ghost Pirates' historic first ECHL hockey game
