Billy Sheridan and Caesar Björk scored third period goals but it wasn’t enough as the visiting Rebels fell to the Northeast Generals 4 – 2 as Northeast completed a weekend sweep of the teams. The Generals entered this series on a six-game losing streak.
The Rebels went 0 for 4 on the powerplay and 0 for 12 in the two games while allowing the Generals to score on three of four their chances on the man advantage in both contests.
Brock Jones was called for hooking at 9:03 of the first period to give the Generals the man advantage. A minute and five seconds later Northeast’s William-Francisco Parent gave the Generals a 1 – 0 lead. After the Generals won the draw deep inside the Rebels zone, the puck went back to Grady Logue at the far side point. After playing pitch and catch with Francisco-Parent, Logue sent a final return pass to Francisco-Parent at the half wall and Francisco-Parent took a wrist shot that found its way through a screen and past Rebels netminder Anthony Sciere for Francisco-Parent’s first goal as a General (he was recently acquired in a trade with New Hampshire).
Northeast’s Rich Rucireto scored his first of the game at 4:43 into the middle stanza to double the Generals lead. Playing 4 on 4 hockey, the Generals’ Jake Gutwirth brought the puck into the offensive zone by the near side boards. As Gutwirth gained the line and skated towards the top of the faceoff circle he made a cross-ice pass to Rucireto just inside the far side circle. Rucireto cut towards the net, deked around Sciere and backhanded the biscuit into the back of the net.
Sheridan got the Rebels on the board with 9:05 remaining in the third period. After the Generals won the draw deep inside their own zone, the puck went back to Northeast defenseman Jack Montaldo at the bottom of the near side faceoff circle. Montaldo went to set up the play but it was intercepted by Sheridan in the goalmouth and Sheridan deked around Northeast’s goalie Ryan Nolan and backhanded the puck into twine for Sheridan’s eighth goal of the season.
A minute and fourteen seconds later the Generals regained their two-goal lead on Rucireto’s second tally of the game. As the Generals tried to clear the puck out of their own end, the puck was knocked down by Joe Stauber just inside the offensive zone along the near side boards. As the puck hit the ice, it was intercepted by the Generals’ Jackson Rutherford who sent the biscuit up to a breaking Rucireto. As Rucireto gained the offensive zone line, he took a wrist shot just inside the faceoff circle that beat Sciere short side to make it a 3 – 1 game.
Björk cut the Rebels deficit to one with 4:54 remaining in the game when he tucked in the rebound past Nolan for Björk’s ninth goal of the season.
Montaldo scored his first NAHL goal – an empty netter – with 1:27 left in the game to close out the scoring and make it 4 – 2.
Sciere turned aside 24 of 27 shots while Nolan stopped 33 of 35. Click HERE for the complete box score. Nex weekend the Rebels will face the Maryland Black Bears for a two-game series to close out the first half of the season.
