The Rebels scored four goals in the first period en route to a 7 – 3 road win over the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights. With the victory, the Rebels are now two points shy of clinching their third straight regular season East Division championship.
Aaron Maguyon and Carson Moniz each had two goals and Diarmad DiMurro had three points (all assists) in the contest.
Brandon Stanley got the Rebels on the board first just 1:13 into the game for his sixteenth goal on the season.
Knights defenseman Anthony Firriolo would dump the puck into the Rebels near side corner where it was retrieved by Seth Bergeron who wrapped it along the boards up to Jimmy Glynn. Glynn would enter the Knights zone along the far side boards and passed the puck to Stanley in the high slot. Stanley took a wrister that beat WBS goalie David Tomeo high stick side to make it a 1- 0 game.
Bergeron was called for tripping at the 5:28 mark of the opening period to give the Knights the extra attacker. Thirty-nine seconds later the Knights would tie the game.
Knights forward Michael Morrissey would bring the puck up along the far side boards into the Rebels zone. As he skated to the top of the circle he reversed and send the puck back to Thomas Ferrall at the point. Ferrall sent a return pass to Morrissey at the circle and the Bethlehem, PA native took a shot that was saved by Rebels goalie Ryan Keane but the rebound came right out to Blake Kryska who redirected it past Keane to even the score at one.
WBS forward Lincoln Hatten was called for slashing at 6:24 to put the Rebels on the powerplay. Entering today’s game, the Rebels led the league with the extra attacker converting 31% of their chances. Moniz would give the Rebels the lead and their first of three man-advantage goals.
Nico Appendino would set up the play at the top of the far side blue line. He would pass the puck to Moniz on his left. Moniz would send a cross-ice pass over to Ryan Patrick at the top of the circle. Patrick would pass it down low to Alex Frye who was to the left of Tomeo. Frye would start to skate forward, turned and took a shot that Tomeo saved with his blocker but a huge rebound came out to Moniz who took a snapshot that beat Tomeo short side to give the Rebels a 2 – 1 lead.
A little over two minutes later Maguyon would make it a 3 – 1 game with his first goal of the game.
After Jensen Zerban won the draw deep inside the Knights zone the puck would go back to Moniz at the far side point. Moniz would pass it up to Patrick at the top of the circle. The Rebels captain took a shot that Maguyon redirected out front passed Tomeo for his twenty-first goal on the season.
The Rebels would make it a 4 – 1 game with 8:31 in the first on Auggie Moore’s tenth goal on the season.
Eric Olson won the draw in the Knights and the puck went to the near side boards where it was picked up by Moore. The Edina, MN native looked up and shot the puck that found its way through a screen past Tomeo long side to give the Rebels a three-goal lead.
The Knights would cut the Rebels lead in half with 5:20 left in the opening period.
Curtis Carlson would intercept the puck at center ice and dump it towards the end boards where it was picked up by Lincoln Hatten. Hatten would bounce the puck off the end boards to Carlson who was to the left of Keane. Carlson took a sharp angle shot that was save by Keane but the rebound came right back to Carslon who lifted it past Keane short-side to make it a 4 – 2 game.
Although the Rebels entered the second period with a 4 – 2 lead, the Knight applied a full assault. They outshot the Rebels 19 – 8 in the middle period but two of the Rebels shots found their way to the back of the net.
Luke Robinson was called for holding with 6:03 into the second. Nineteen seconds later the Rebels would score their second powerplay goal on the evening.
As the Knights tried to clear the puck it was kept in the zone by DiMurro at the far side point. He would pass it up to Zerban at the top of the faceoff circle. Zerban would pass it down to Maguyon who at the bottom of the circle. Maguyon started to skate around the circle and as he cut to the faceoff dot he took a sharp angle shot that beat Tomeo to make it 5 – 2 Rebels for Maguyon’s second goal of the game.
Tomeo was then pulled in favor of Christian Stoever.
Affiliate player Chase Hamstad would score his first junior goal of his career to give the Rebels a 6 – 2 lead with 4:57 left in the second.
Bryant Gunn would send the puck into the Knights zone where Hamstad picked up the puck in the Knights zone along the far side boards. The rookie took a sharp angle shot that was saved by Stoever and the rebound bounced high off the end boards and came out to DiMurro at the near side circle. DiMurro took a snap shot the was redirected by Hamstad at the top of the crease past Stoever to give the Rebels a commanding four goal lead.
The Knights and Rebels would exchange goals in the third. Carlson would score his second goal of the game to make it 6 – 3 but Moniz scored with a one second left in the game to close out the scoring at 7 – 3.
Keane turned aside 42 of 45 shots while Tomeo and Stoever combined to save 28 of 35 shots they faced. Click here for the box score.
The two teams will be back at it tomorrow night at 7:30pm at the Revolution Ice Center. Should the Rebels win it will be the first time in team history that they clinched a regular season division championship on the road.
