Ghost Pirates Coach’s Corner: Staal Breaks Down Loss to Orlando, Troop Thursday
“Ghost Pirates Coach’s Corner” airs each Thursday on WJCL 22.
GHOST PIRATES ARE BACK ON HOME ICE TONIGHT — FOR TROOP THURSDAY. SPORTS DIRECTOR AMY ZIMMER — SAT DOWN WITH HEAD COACH JARED STAAL — BEFORE HOSTING THE JACKSONVILLE ICEMEN — IN THIS WEEK’S COACH’S CORNER. ZIMMER: HELLO AND WELCOME INTO ANOTHER SAVANNAH GHOST PIRATES COACH’S CORNER, AS ALWAYS, JOINED BY HEAD COACH JARED STAAL. AND COACH, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR TAKING THE TIME TO COME IN. STAAL: AS ALWAYS. YEAH. ZIMMER: BUSY WEEK FOR YOU GUYS. COMING OFF A TWO-NOTHING LOSS TO THE ORLANDO SOLAR BEARS, NOW GEARING UP FOR THE JACKSONVILLE ICEMEN. LET’S GO AHEAD AND GO BACK TO YOUR MOST RECENT GAME WITH THAT TWO-NOTHING LOSS. WHAT DO YOU NEED TO SEE DIFFERENTLY FROM THIS TEAM TO AVOID A SHUTOUT? STAAL: YEAH, IT WAS A GOOD WEEKEND, A FRUSTRATING WEEKEND ALL AT THE SAME TIME. SO FRIDAY WE HAD ONE OF OUR MOST COMPLETE GAMES OF THE YEAR, A BIG WIN. AND THEN SATURDAY WE CARRIED THAT INTO THE GAME AGAINST ORLANDO. I THOUGHT WE DID A PRETTY GOOD JOB, CONTROLLED THE PLAY. THOUGHT WE OUT WITH THE WIN, BUT WE SHOT OURSELVES IN THE FOOT, AND WE KEEP DOING IT COUNTLESS TIMES. WE TALKED ABOUT THAT, AND THEN WE COME BACK AND TAKE TEN PENALTIES ON SUNDAY, SO DEFINITELY A LEARNING EXPERIENCE FOR OUR GROUP-TO NOT BEAT OURSELVES, WHICH WE SEEM TO BE FINE TO DO A LITTLE BIT LATELY. AND IT’S ALL KIND OF ROLLED UP WITH-WE’RE MISSING SOME PIECES, SO THERE’S OPPORTUNITY FOR GUYS TO STEP UP IN BIGGER ROLES. THAT HASN’T ALWAYS BEEN THE CASE. SO WE’RE JUST LOOKING TO CHALLENGE GUYS TO BE BETTER IN THOSE SITUATIONS, BECAUSE NOW YOU GET YOUR OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE THE MOST OF IT. ZIMMER: YOU TALKING ABOUT MAKING OPPORTUNITIES. YOU GUYS SEEMED TO HAVE A LOT IN THAT PREVIOUS GAME. YOU OUTSHOT THEM 37 TO 23 BUT COULDN’T BREAK THROUGH. SO WHAT WOULD BE YOUR MESSAGE TO THE TEAM ABOUT FINISHING? STAAL: YEAH, I MEAN ORLANDO PLAYS AN INTERESTING DEFENSIVE STYLE, IF I’M BEING HONEST. THEY KIND OF JUST ALL SIT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ICE, SO YOU CAN GET FOOLED A LITTLE BIT WITH PUCK POSSESSION AT TIMES. BUT WE TALKED A LOT IN PRACTICE ABOUT JUST FIGHTING TO GET INSIDE THE DOTS, GET INSIDE THE GOOD ICE, AND THEN WE’LL FIND THOSE LOOSE PUCKS. THERE ARE A LOT OF LOOSE PUCKS AND REBOUNDS OFF THE GOALTENDER THAT WE HAD OPPORTUNITIES TO PUT IN THE BACK BUT DIDN’T, OR WE MISSED WIDE-OPEN CHANCES. THERE ARE OPPORTUNITIES THERE. SO WE WORKED ON THAT IN THE LAST FEW DAYS OF PRACTICE. THERE WERE SOME RESULTS IN PRACTICE, SO HOPEFULLY YOU CAN TAKE IT INTO A GAME. ZIMMER: TONIGHT YOU GUYS ARE GOING TO BE HONORING THE MILITARY. IT’S TROOP THURSDAY AS YOU HOST JACKSONVILLE. WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO THE TEAM TO BE ABLE TO CELEBRATE A NIGHT LIKE THIS? STAAL: YEAH, IT’S AWESOME. JUST FROM LIVING IN THIS AREA, THE MILITARY IMPACT IS ALL AROUND YOU, WHETHER IT IS FROM PERSONALLY KNOWING PEOPLE AT MY SON’S SCHOOL, THE NUMBER OF PARENTS WITH TIES TO THE MILITARY, AND ALL AROUND THE CITY. WE LOVE WHERE WE LIVE, AND WE LOVE THE PEOPLE THAT SERVE IN THE MILITARY. AND THAT’S JUST A REFLECTION OF OUR COMMUNITY. I LOVE IT, AND I THINK IT’S A GREAT THING TO DO. ZIMMER: WELL, COACH, W
Ghost Pirates Coach’s Corner: Staal Breaks Down Loss to Orlando, Troop Thursday
“Ghost Pirates Coach’s Corner” airs each Thursday on WJCL 22.
Updated: 11:21 PM EST Dec 16, 2025
The Savannah Ghost Pirates are back home this week, and head coach Jared Staal joins Sports Director Amy Zimmer for another edition of Coach’s Corner on WJCL 22.Coming off a 2-0 loss to the Orlando Solar Bears, Staal breaks down what his team needs to do to avoid another shutout and make the most of scoring opportunities. Despite outshooting Orlando 37-23, the Ghost Pirates couldn’t find the back of the net, something Staal says the team has addressed in practice.“There are a lot of loose pucks and rebounds off the goaltender that we had opportunities to put in the back but didn’t,” Staal said. “We worked on that in the last few days of practice, and hopefully you can take it into a game.”Tonight’s game against the Jacksonville Icemen carries extra meaning, as the team celebrates Troop Thursday, honoring military members in the Savannah community.“Living in this area, the military impact is all around you,” Staal said. “We love the people that serve in the military, and it’s just a reflection of our community. I love it, and I think it’s a great thing to do.”Ghost Pirates Coach’s Corner” airs every Thursday on WJCL at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m.
SAVANNAH, Ga. —
The Savannah Ghost Pirates are back home this week, and head coach Jared Staal joins Sports Director Amy Zimmer for another edition of Coach’s Corner on WJCL 22.
Coming off a 2-0 loss to the Orlando Solar Bears, Staal breaks down what his team needs to do to avoid another shutout and make the most of scoring opportunities. Despite outshooting Orlando 37-23, the Ghost Pirates couldn’t find the back of the net, something Staal says the team has addressed in practice.
“There are a lot of loose pucks and rebounds off the goaltender that we had opportunities to put in the back but didn’t,” Staal said. “We worked on that in the last few days of practice, and hopefully you can take it into a game.”
Tonight’s game against the Jacksonville Icemen carries extra meaning, as the team celebrates Troop Thursday, honoring military members in the Savannah community.
“Living in this area, the military impact is all around you,” Staal said. “We love the people that serve in the military, and it’s just a reflection of our community. I love it, and I think it’s a great thing to do.”
Ghost Pirates Coach’s Corner” airs every Thursday on WJCL at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m.