Every once in a while a goaltender is asked to steal a game for his team. Last night New Jersey’s Brandon Perrone did just that. The Titans’ netminder turned aside 32 of the 34 shot he faced while making several spectacular saves throughout to give his team a 3 – 2 win over the visiting Aston Rebels.
New Jersey would take the lead 9:50 into the opening period. The Titans dumped the puck into the Rebels zone and it went behind goalie Mareks Mitens net and up along the near side boards. New Jersey’s Kyle Head picked it up and passed it back to the point to Ryan Wheeler who took a shot on net that was saved by Mitens. The rebound came out to Head. As Head was falling down he made a pass to Dylan Healey who beat Mitens on only the Titans second shot on goal of the game.
With time winding down in the first, the Rebels would knot the score at one. Andrew Bellant was battling a Titan defender behind the New Jersey net. Bellant tried to send a pass into the slot but it went back to the point to defenseman Brennan Kapcheck. Kapcheck brought the puck into the Titans faceoff circle and pass it to his left to Ryan Patrick. Patrick took a wrist shot that beat Perrone glove side with 2:02 remaining the period. It was Patrick’s fifth goal on the season.
All night New Jersey tried to spread the offensive zone by leaving a trailer up high. With 1:49 into the second period it worked. With the Rebels applying pressure in the Titans’ zone, Healy lobbed a high pass as Head was got behind the Rebels defense. Head picked up the bouncing puck and walked in all alone on Mitens and beat him through the five hole to put the Titans up 2 – 1.
The Titans would go up 3 – 1 on a power play goal in the middle period. First Kapcheck was called for slashing at 6:32. Twenty seconds later Dom Garcia was called for interference putting the Titans on a 5 on 3. With the faceoff inside the Rebels nearside circle, the puck went back to Anthony Cusanelli. He passed it to his left to Jordan Kaplan. After a couple of passes between Cusanelli and Kaplan, Kaplan passed the puck down low to Todd Goehring. Goehring sent a passed back to Kaplan at the point who took a one-timer that beat Mitens through a screen with 12:48 left in the second.
The Rebels would pull within one on a strange goal by Adam Peck. Auggie Moore brought the puck out of the Rebels zone along the farside boards. As he entered the Titans’ zone, he drop passed the puck to a trailing Peck. Peck would take a wide angle shot that was initially saved by Perrone. Jensen Zerban picked up the rebound and passed it behind the net to Peck. Peck had the wherewithal to bounce a shot off of the back of Perrone and into the net with 5:50 left in the second to make it a 3 – 2 game.
The Rebels essentially controlled the game and especially the third period but Perrone made key saves to keep his team in the lead. The Rebels had their chances to tie the game in the last period but Perrone made two spectacular windmill glove saves off of Garcia and Moore to thwart the Rebels comeback. The Rebels outshot the Titans 34 to 17. Click here for the box score.
It was the Rebels first back-to-back loss this season. After 40 games played, the Rebels lead in the division has been cut to two points over second place Johnstown who arrives next weekend at iceWorks. Howeveer, before the Rebels play them, they will travel to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton to play the Knights at 12:30pm on Tuesday and then travel back to New Jersey for a 10:30am start on Wednesday morning.
