Starting in his first NAHL game, Maine’s Nick Hubbard stopped all 19 shots he faced to lead the Nordiques to a 4 – 0 win over the visiting Rebels to split the weekend series. With the loss, the Rebels also split the season series between the teams with each winning three games apiece.
Maine’s Shane Kozlina scored the eventual game winning goal at 4:31 into the opening period. The Nordiques’ Ethan Wongus brought the puck up along the far side boards and into the offensive zone. As he gained the line, Wongus passed the biscuit to Laurent Trepanier on his right. Trepanier took a wrist from the slot that was saved by Rebels netminder Owen Crudale but the rebound came right out to Kozlina on the doorstep and Kozlina knocked the puck into the back of the net for his 15th goal of the season.
Ryan Bunting was called for tripping with 5:21 remaining in the second period. Seventeen seconds later the Nordiques doubled their lead. Trepanier quarterbacked the play by sending a pass from the far side half wall to Luke Chappelle at the point. Chappelle took a shot on net that was redirected by Michael Stenberg out front and past Crudale for Stenberg’s tenth goal of the season.
Maine went up 3 – 0 with :43 seconds remaining in the middle stanza when Alexandre Pellerin took a one-timer from the center point that found its way through a screen and through Crudale’s five hole for the Nordiques second powerplay goal of the game.
The Nordiques’ Kellen Murphy lit the lamp at 1:35 into the third period to close out the scoring and make it a 4 – 0 game. Crudale and Anthony Sciere combined to stop 30 of 34 shots. Click HERE for the complete box score.
The Rebels will be home the next two weekends starting next weekend when they host the New Hampshire Mountain Kings for the only time this season, and then the Rebels will face the Rochester Jr. Americans February 7 and 8.
