The Rebels traveled to the Revolution Ice Centre today to play the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights in an afternoon matinee. The Knights scored two, third period goals in forty seconds to overcome a 2 – 1 deficit and beat the Rebels 5 – 2. It was the Rebels first division loss of the season.
It started well for the Rebels. Aaron Maguyon had the puck behind the net and passed it out to Dom Garcia. Garcia fed the puck back to the top of the point to Gvido Jansons who took a slapshot that found its way through a screen and beat the Knights’ Grant Valentine to put the Rebels up 1 -0 at the 9:37 mark of the first period.
The Knights’ Sam Antonitsch was called for interference at the 11:20 mark putting the Rebels on the power play. Fifty seconds later Jensen Zerban passed the puck back to the point to Brenan Kapcheck who made a nice cross-ice, back door pass to Jansons who put it behind Valentine to give the Rebels a 2 – 0 lead.
Then it was the Knights’ turn to go on the power play when Drew Blackmun was called for holding at the 15:34 mark of the first. Joseph Campolieto brought the puck down low and took a shot that was saved by Mareks Mitens but he couldn’t control the rebound. Michael Morrissey picked up the puck and put it in the net to cut the Knights deficit in half.
After an up and down second period, the Knights continued to apply pressure in the Rebels zone during the third. Then with 4:40 left in the final period, Andrew Jackson fed the puck to Antonitsch who beat Mitens short side to tie the game at two.
Forty one seconds later Campolieto sent a cross-ice pass to Vince Marino who took a backdoor shot to be Mitens and give the Knights a 3 – 2 lead with four minutes left in the game.
After pulling Mitens for the extra attacker, the Knights would go on to score to empty net goals to give the Knights a 5 – 2 victory. Mitens stopped 21 of the 24 shots he faced while Valentine saved 17 of 19 shots. Click here for box score.
The two teams are back at it again in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Friday night at 7:30pm.
