Michael Mathison and Charlies Panchisin each scored twice while Caesar Björk, Brock Jones and Luke Janviriya lit the lamp to lead the Rebels to a 7 – 1 win over the visiting Titans. It was the largest margin of victory on home ice for the Rebels in their franchise history, and it was only the second time in team history that they had won by the same score (the other was November 19, 2022 against Danbury).
It was the tale of two periods. Despite being outshot 11 – 5 in the first, Rebels netminder Owen Crudale made several key saves to keep the visitors off the board and end the opening period scoreless.
In the second period the barrage of shots flipped with the Rebels taking 14 and converting on five chances while the Titans scored on one of their five. It all started at 6:51 into the middle stanza from Mathison who, not only scored his first of two goals of the game, but also his first two goals of his junior career.
With the Rebels pressuring inside the offensive zone, the puck was deflected back to Mikey Conlon at the near side point. Conlon skated to the top of the slot and passed the biscuit to Mathison on his left and just inside the far side faceoff circle. Mathison took a one-timer that found its way through a screen and past New Jersey netminder Austin McNicholas to make it a 1 – 0 game.
Jones was called for unsportsmanlike conduct at 8:23 of the period to give New Jersey the man advantage. Thirteen seconds later the game was tied. As the Titans set up the play inside the offensive zone, the puck went back to New Jersey defenseman Alex Papaspyropoulos at the near side point. Papaspyropoulos took a wrist shot on net that was deflect out front by Ryan Novo and past Crudale to even the score at one.
The Rebels then went onto score three goals in four minutes.
Philadelphia took their second lead of the game at 9:01 of the middle stanza. With the Rebels pressuring inside the offensive zone, Charlie Spencer interrupted a Titans outlet passed and the loose puck was picked up by Linas Dedinas at the far side faceoff circle. Dedinas made a shuttle pass to Spencer who fed a pass through the legs of a Titans defender to Mathison in the slot and Mathison slid the biscuit through McNicholas’s legs for his second goal of the game.
With the Titans’ JP Saddy off for cross-checking and time winding down on the man advantage, Janviriya started the play at the top of the far side point and made a cross-ice pass to Jared Coccimiglio at the top of the near side circle. Coccimiglio stepped up and made a seamless pass through the slot to Panchisin who took a one-timer that beat McNicholas short side to make it a 3 – 1 game.
Abzal Alibek was called for slashing with 7:10 remaining in the second to give the Titans the man advantage. Ten seconds later Panchisin scored shorthanded. With New Jersey’s Ryan Shaw looking to set up in the Rebels zone, Shaw made a cross-ice pass that was supposed to go to Papaspyropoulos but missed and the puck went off the near side boards to Panchisin at the faceoff circle. Panchisin skated through center ice and into the offensive zone. As Panchisin gained the line on a two-on-one with Dedinas, Panchisin skated to the slot and took a wrist shot that beat McNicholas long side for second goal of the game to make it a 4 – 1 game and the rout was on.
Björk scored with twenty-four seconds remaining in the middle stanza to make it 5 -1, and then Jones and Janviriya hit the back of the net in the third to close out the scoring and make it a 7 – 1 game.
Crudale stopped 33 of 34 shots while New Jersey’s netminder turned aside 30 of 37. Click HERE for the complete box score. The Rebels now will host the Rochester Jr. Americans for a two-game series beginning Friday night.
