Shawn Ramsey scored with 2:24 remaining in overtime to give the Rebels a 2 – 1 win over the visiting New Jersey Titans in the first game of this home-and-home series between the teams this weekend.
The victory was the Rebels’ first in overtime this season.
Despite being outshot 15 – 9 after the first period, neither team scored, although Rebels netminder Jack Fialkoff had to make several saves to keep his team in the game.
At 6:03 into the second period, New Jersey’s Simon Becar was called for tripping to give the Rebels the man advantage. A minute and a half later Kris Samitis gave the home team the lead. After the Titans dumped the puck deep in the Rebels zone, Fialkoff set up the play and passed the biscuit up to Ramsey. As Ramsey skated through center ice, he stopped at the blueline and passed the puck to Ryan Bunting who entered the zone. As Bunting gained the line, he dished the puck off to Klaus Jogi on his left. As Jogi skated down the far side boards and went to the faceoff dot, he made a centering pass out front to Samitis who took a wrist shot that beat Titans netminder Dylan Krick high, glove side to make it a 1 – 0 game. It was Samitis’ ninth goal of the season.
The Rebels’ lead was short lived when New Jersey’s Jack Hillier scored 45 seconds later. With a scrum along the near side boards in the Titans zone, the puck squirted out to Becar who sent a long outlet pass into the Rebels zone where it was intercepted by Sonny DiNubile. As DiNubile went to cut towards his left, he was stripped of the puck by New Jersey’s Ryan Novo who passed it out front to Hillier who took a wrist shot that beat Fialkoff just inside the post to make it a 1 – 1 game.
The third period was very similar to the first where the Titans outshot the Rebels 14 – 8 but neither team was able to score sending the game into the extra frame.
As New Jersey’s Ethan Wongus brought the puck into the Rebels zone, he lost possession of it and the biscuit was picked up by Ramsey who head manned the puck up to Jared Coccimiglio. Coccimiglio went towards the net with a Titans defender on his back. As he reached the slot, Coccimiglio made a centering pass to Ramsey who took a shot that went off the skate of Krick and into the back of the net to give the Rebels the 2 – 1 victory.
Fialkoff turned aside 36 of 37 shots while Krick stopped 28 of 30. Click HERE for the complete box score.
Game two of this home-and-home series will be played tonight at 7:00PM at the Middletown Sports Complex with the Rebels looking to complete the weekend sweep.
