Ruslan Jamaldinov scored 2:04 into overtime to give the Rebels a 4 – 3 win over the visiting New Jersey Titans. It was Jamaldinov’s second goal of the game. Ryan Bunting and Billy Sheridan also lit the lamp in the victory. The Rebels were leading 3 – 1 win two and a half minutes remaining in regulation but the Titans scored two goals in a minute and seventeen seconds to send the game into the extra frame.
It was the Rebels second consecutive win over the Titans, and it was the Rebels third overtime victory of the season and their second against New Jersey (the other against Elmira).
Jamaldinov opened the scoring at 4:01 into the first period. Brock Jones intercepted a Titans outlet pass just inside the New Jersey blueline at the near side boards and pushed the puck up to Charles Panchisin atop the faceoff circle. Panchisin sent the biscuit to Joe Stauber at the top of the point who dished it off to Jamaldinov on his right. Jamaldinov took a one-timer just inside the top of the far side faceoff circle that beat New Jersey netminder Charlie Mistretta long side for Jamaldinov’s first tally of the game.
Bunting doubled the Rebels lead with 5:07 left in the first. Sheridan picked up the loose puck at the top of his own far side faceoff circle and cut towards center ice and passed the biscuit to a breaking Bunting down the near side boards. As Bunting gained the line, he went to send a return pass to Sheridan in the slot but the puck went to the far side boards and bounced to Drew Belleson who immediately threw a shot on net that was deflected out front by Bunting and past Mistretta for Bunting’s eighth goal of the season.
The Titans cut their deficit in half on Alex Papaspyropoulos’s ninth goal of the season. After Papaspyropoulos won the draw deep inside the Rebels zone, the puck went back to JP Saddy at the near side point. Saddy skated up to the half wall and made a centering pass to Papaspyropoulos in the slot and Papaspyropoulos took a one-timer that beat Owen Crudale to make it a 2 – 1 game.
The Rebels regained their two-goal lead at 9:11 of the third. With play inside the Rebels zone, Bunting was able to pitchfork the puck high off the near side board’s glass into center ice where he was able to pick up the biscuit and enter the offensive zone. As Bunting gained the line, he made a centering pass to Sheridan on his right atop of the slot and Sheridan went towards the net and took a wrister that beat Mistretta long side for Sheridan’s seventh goal of the season.
The Titans then scored two goals within a minute and seventeen seconds apart to even the score starting with 2:26 left in the game.
With play inside the Rebels zone, New Jersey’s Ryan Novo kept the puck inside the offensive end at the far side point and sent it up the faceoff circle where it was picked up by Logan Renkowski. As Renkowski cut towards the net, he made a cross-ice pass through the goalmouth to Jack Hillier who redirected the puck past Crudale to make it a 3 – 2 game. It was Hillier’s fourth goal against Philadelphia this year.
New Jersey’s Owen Leahy evened the score with nine seconds remaining in the game. The Titans’ Blake Jones picked up the loose puck just outside the Rebels zone along the near side boards. As he started to skate towards the middle of the rink, he wrapped the puck off the far side boards and behind the net where Crudale went to stop it but slowed it down where it was picked up by Luke Janviriya in the near side corner. Janviriya went to pitch fork the puck off the end wall but it was intercepted Jeremy Sprung behind the Rebels net. As Sprung started to go behind the net, he stopped and sent a pass to Leahy who was to the left of Crudale (who was caught cheating on the play by anticipating Sprung going completely around the net) and Leahy jammed it into the open net to send the game into overtime.
With the puck deep inside the Rebels zone, Belleson picked up the loose puck behind his own net and head manned the biscuit to Jamaldinov breaking down the near side boards. As Jamaldinov cut through center ice and into the offensive zone towards the New Jersey bench, he took a wrist shot from the faceoff circle that was redirected off of the blade of Leahy’s stick that beat Mistretta short side to win the game. It was Jamaldinov’s second goal of the game and ninth of the season which leads the team.
Crudale, who played extremely well throughout the game, stopped 46 of 49 shots while Mistretta turned aside 30 of 34. Click HERE for the complete box score.
