In Savannah, Georgia, the Enmarket Arena fell silent for a brief 24-hour period as players from the Ghost Pirates hockey team, alongside the rest of the ECHL, participated in a strike. However, the ice is set to see action once more following a tentative agreement on a new collective bargaining contract.

The ECHL announced on its website on Saturday evening that an agreement had been reached with the Professional Hockey Players’ Association (PHPA). This development signals a positive step forward, as players are expected to rejoin their teams and gear up to hit the ice again, contingent on the ratification and approval of the agreement.

The strike, which was declared earlier in the week, resulted in the cancellation of scheduled Ghost Pirates games on December 26 and 27. This disruption was part of a broader labor action initiated by the players’ union.

The Professional Hockey Players’ Association had cited several key issues that remained unresolved in their negotiations for a new contract. Among these were concerns about the travel demands for consecutive games, the need for a holiday break, the security of guaranteed contracts, offseason health benefits, and overall player compensation.

Earlier this week, The Professional Hockey Players’ Association announced it “commenced job action” and cited travel for back-to-back games, a holiday break, guaranteed contracts, health benefits during the offseason and player compensation as unresolved issues in talks on a new collective bargaining agreement.

The ECHL says more details on the tentative agreement will be announced soon.