Through the Margins: How the Savannah Ghost Pirates Turned Persistence into a Playoff Breakthrough

The 2025–26 season for the Savannah Ghost Pirates wasn’t defined by dominance or long winning streaks. It was defined by something harder to measure—persistence.

A season that started with questions ended with history.

Learning How to Stay in the Fight

From the opening puck drop in October, Savannah looked like a team still searching for its identity. There were flashes of high-scoring nights, stretches where the offense clicked, moments where the pace and structure suggested something more, but they rarely held long enough to build separation in the standings.

Instead, the Ghost Pirates lived in the margins.

One night, they’d generate four or five goals and look like a contender. Next, they’d struggle to finish chances and chase the game. That push-and-pull defined much of their year, keeping them hovering around the .500 mark and locked in a constant battle within the South Division.

But what could have unraveled the season became its foundation.

Savannah didn’t fade.

A Team Built on Balance

Without a single dominant superstar, the Ghost Pirates leaned into a committee approach. Offense came from everywhere—and sometimes nowhere.

Dennis Cesana emerged as a driving force from the blue line, not just producing, but helping transition play and stabilize possession. Up front, Bryce Brodzinski and Nicholas Zabaneh provided steady contributions, often carrying the scoring load during critical stretches. Still, this wasn’t a team that overwhelmed opponents. It outlasted them when it had to.

Depth players stepped in at key moments. Timely goals replaced sustained pressure. And while consistency remained elusive, the collective effort kept Savannah within reach.

The Push That Changed Everything

Photo Credit: Savannah Ghost Pirates

As the calendar turned toward spring, the margin for error disappeared. Every point mattered, and Savannah played like it. There was no dramatic takeover of the standings, no extended winning streak that flipped the narrative overnight. Instead, the Ghost Pirates chipped away. A win here. An overtime point there. Just enough to stay alive while the playoff picture tightened around them.