Jared Coccimiglio scored two, first period goals to lead the visiting Rebels to a 6 – 2 win over the Maine Nordiques and complete a weekend sweep between the teams.
The victory enabled the Rebels to even their record to 5 – 5 on the season.
Coccimiglio got the Rebels on the board at 5:56 into the opening period. With play just inside the Rebels zone along the near side boards, Coccimiglio was able to swipe away the puck from Maine defenseman Matt Lewis (and former Rebel) at the point. As the puck went into the neutral zone, Coccimiglio picked up the biscuit and skated in all alone on Nordiques goalie Carter Richardson. As Coccimiglio got to the goal mouth, he deked towards his right and lifted the puck up and over the prone netminder and into the back of the cage to give Philly a 1 – 0 lead.
With 8:45 remaining in the first, the Rebels doubled their lead on Coccimiglio’s second goal of the game. Coccimiglio picked up the loose puck along the far side boards and sent it back to Shawn Ramsey at the top of the Rebels zone. Ramsey skated towards center ice and sent a long return stretch pass to Coccimiglio. As the Oakville, AK native gained the line, he took a wrist shot from the top of the slot that beat Richardson high blocker side for Coccimiglio’s third goal of the season.
Tyler Stern gave the Rebels a 3 – 0 at 8:55 into the middle stanza. Stern picked up the loose puck at the top of his own zone and sent a cross-ice pass to Ryan Bunting. Bunting skated up along the far size boards and sent a return pass up to Stern. As Stern entered the offensive zone, he stepped up and took a wrist shot from the faceoff circle that beat Thomas Heaney long side for Stern’s second goal of the game.
Ryan Bunting scored his first career junior goal at 2:54 into the third period to give the Rebels a 4 – 0 lead.
Maine’s Charles Tardiff broke Jack Fialkoff’s shutout bid fifty seconds later to make it a 4 – 1 game.
Kris Samitis’ sixth goal of the season at 8:52 into the period to make it 5 – 1, and then Otto Polakovs’ sixth goal on the year made it 6 – 1 with 8:32 left in the game.
The Nordiques’ Cody Pisarczyk made it 6 – 2 with less than a minute remaining in the game to close out the scoring.
Fialkoff stopped 22 of 24 shots while Richardson and Heaney combined to turn aside 26 of 32. Click here for the complete box score.
“We continue to grow and improve every day” said Rebels head coach Justin Hale after the game. “All year long we have been talking about putting together a full 60 minute game. Tonight was the closest we’ve come. I’m proud of the group for a strong weekend coming off the bye week” concluded Hale.
Next weekend the Rebels will travel to New Hampshire to face the expansion Mountain Kings for the first time.
