Charles Panchisin scored :29 seconds into overtime to give the visiting Rebels a 4 – 3 win over the New Jersey Titans to move within two points of the sixth and final playoff spot. It was his second goal of the game. The Rebels overcame a three-goal deficit entering the second period but Ruslan Jamaldinov, Panchisin and Joe Stauber scored to tie it.
The Titans roared out to a 3 – 0 first period lead starting with Nikita Meshcheryakov at 7:24 into the game. New Jersey’s Jack Hillier brought the puck up along the near side boards and into the offensive zone. As he gained the line, Hillier passed the biscuit to Meshcheryakov on his left and Meshcheryakov stepped up to the top of the far side faceoff circle and took a long wrist shot that beat Rebels netminder Anthony Sciere for Meshcheryakov’s seventh goal of the season.
Hillier doubled the Titans lead three minutes later. The Titans’ Saxen Robertson picked up the loose puck in his own corner and sent a pass off the far side boards up to Meshcheryakov at the top of the circle. Meshcheryakov immediately made a backhanded pass to a breaking Hillier on his right. Hillier skated through center ice and into the offensive zone. As Hillier gained the line, he went towards the net and took a shot from the bottom of the faceoff circle that beat Sciere for Hillier’s sixth goal against the Rebels this season.
Robertson made it 3 – 0 with 2:37 remaining in the first. New Jersey’s Ryan Friedman kept the puck in the offensive zone at the far side point and skated towards the faceoff circle and took a shot that bounced out of Sciere’s glove. The rebound came out to Friedman in the slot and Friedman immediately took a clapper that founds its way through a screen and past Sciere for Robertson’s second goal of the season.
Jamaldinov put the Rebels on the board at 5:16 into the middle stanza. After Brock Jones outhustled a Titans defender at the end wall in the offensive zone, he made a backhanded centering pass to Jamaldinov in the slot. As four Titans converged on him, Jamaldinov was able to take a backhanded shot that beat New Jersey netminder Charlie Mistretta for Jamaldinov’s team high twenty-first goal of the season.
Panchisin brought the Rebels within one with 8:16 remaining in the second. Stauber started the play from his own near side corner and head manned the puck up to Panchisin who skated through center ice and into the offensive zone. As Panchisin gained the line, he immediately passed the biscuit to Ryan Bunting on his left. As Bunting reached the far side faceoff dot, he made a centering pass out front to Panchisin who redirected the puck past Mistretta.
Stauber evened the score with 3:13 left in the middle stanza. Caesar Björk picked up the loose puck at the near side half wall inside the Titans zone. As Björk skated back towards the point, he made a cross-ice pass to Ryan Vaites. Vaites went towards the half wall and sent a return pass to Björk at the point. Björk sent a pass along the blueline to Stauber who took a shot that went off Mistretta’s glove and into the back of the net for Stauber’s sixth goal of the season.
After a scoreless third period, the game went into the extra period. With the puck inside the New Jersey zone along the far side half wall, Jones and Meshcheryakov battled for the biscuit as it squirted free to the Titans Kyle Kim at the bottom of the faceoff circle. Panchisin stripped the puck off of Kim and skated towards the net. As Panchisin cut across the goalmouth, he deked around Mistretta and backhanded the puck into the back of the net to win the game.
Sciere stopped 31 of 34 shots while Mistretta turned aside 36 of 40. Click HERE for the complete box score.
With four games remaining in the season and trailing for the final playoff spot by two points, the Rebels now face the Danbury Hat Tricks for consecutive home-and-home series while the Mountain Kings has a pair of games against the Northeast Generals and then Maine Nordiques.