Sometimes a goalie is called upon to steal a game for his team during the season. And last night Brandon Perrone did just that. Having to make several key saves throughout, Perrone stopped 20 of 22 shots he faced to backstop the visiting New Jersey Titans to a 4 – 2 win over the Rebels.
Perrone entered last night’s game possessing a 2.66 goals against average and .923 save percentage in seven contests against the Rebels this season. The first period alone Perrone made the difference.
The Rebels outplayed the Titans in the first period outshooting them 10 – 4 but Perrone had to make several point blank saves to keep the game scoreless entering the second period.
The Titans would get on the board first with 5:29 in the middle stanza on Kyler Head’s fifth goal on the season. Hunter Alden would bring the puck out of his own zone and through center ice into the Rebels zone. As he crossed the blueline he was knocked off the puck by Alex Frye. While falling, Alden sent a short touch pass to Kyle Jeffers, who spun around and left a drop pass to Head. As Head skated to the top of the slot he rifled a wrist shot that beat Rebels goalie Eli Billing high glove side to give the Titans a 1 – 0 lead.
It was the first time in over 85 minutes that Billing had allowed a goal.
Exactly one minute after the Titans had broken the ice they would double their lead. Billing would make a point blank save off of Spencer Stanley but Stanley picked up his own rebound and went behind the Rebels net. As he tried to pass the puck around the far side boards it hit the referee and bounced onto the stick of Nick Boyagian. Boyagain would make a quick turnaround move at the top of the faceoff circle and took a shot that hit the far post and bounced into the net past Billing to make it 2 – 0 Titans.
The Titans would make it 3 – 0 with 9:17 left in the second. Andrew Husted would pick up the puck deep inside his zone and pass it up to Justin Bofshever on his right. As Bofshever entered the neutral zone he sent a cross-ice pass to Chris Garbe. The Titans forward took a long, low shot that Billing had to make a left pad save but the rebound came out directly to Bofshever who put it past the Rebels fallen netminder for his second goal on the season.
Tate Singleton took down Rebels defenseman Seth Bergeron to give the Rebels their second man advantage of the game. Diarmad DiMurro would set up the play with the puck at the top of the far side point. DiMurro passed it up to Auggie Moore at the top of the faceoff circle and passed it down low to Jimmy Glynn who was to the right of Perrone. Glynn took a sharp angle shot that hit the far side post and bounce in the net to make it a 3 – 1 game with 7:19 left in the period.
The Rebels would start the third period on the powerplay after Singleton was assessed a holding penalty as time ran out in the second.
It was Glynn again who would cut the Titans lead in half. Glynn would bring the puck into the Titans zone along the near side boards. He sent a saucer pass over to Frye who took a wrister that Perrone had to make a right-pad save but the rebound came directly out to Glynn who put the puck into the back of the net just 1:04 into the final period for his sixth goal on the season.
The Rebels valiant comeback would fall short as Gavin Gulash scored an empty net goal with twenty-six seconds remaining to seal the victory.
Billing, who made a critical glove save which prevented the Rebels from going down 4 – 0, stopped 21 of the 24 shots he faced. Click here for the box score.
These two teams will be back at it tonight for the second game of the home-and-home series at Middletown’s Ice World.
