Behind the strong play of goaltender Brandon Perrone, the New Jersey Titans defeated the visiting Philadelphia Rebels 4 – 1 tonight in the last game before the break for both teams.
New Jersey would take an early 1 – 0 lead just 2:30 into the first period. Kyle Jeffers would bring the puck through the neutral zone and passed it up to Todd Goehring at the far side blueline. As Goehring skated to the top of the faceoff circle he sent a cross-ice pass to Spencer Stanley. Stanley immediately sent a one-touch pass in the slot to Jeffers who redirected the puck past a sprawling Ryan Keane for Jeffers eighth goal on the year.
Titans’ forward Kyle Head would take a cross-checking penalty to put the Rebels on the powerplay at 9:49 into the period. As the Rebels cycled the play, the puck came back to Kolby Vegara at the near side point. Vegara took a slapshot that was saved by Perrone but the deep rebound came right out to Jensen Zerban who took a shot that hit the post but the puck trickled along the goal line and Eric Olson tipped it in to tie the game at one with 9:53 left in the first.
Peter Zhong was called hooking with 4:30 left in the period. Then twenty-four seconds later Vegara was called for tripping to give the Titans the two-man advantage. Twenty-two seconds later Goehring gave the Titans the lead.
Eric Manoukian had the puck at the top of the far side point. He passed it over to Tyler Antonucci on his left. After Antonucci settled the rolling puck, he would pass it down low to Hunter Alden who was at Keane’s glove side. Alden sent a pass across the goalmouth to Goehring who banged it home to make it 2 – 1 Titans with 3:46 left in the opening period.
The Rebels controlled most of the tempo throughout the second period but Perrone kept the Titans lead intact saving all ten shots he faced including two, grade A saves: one on a breakaway on Aaron Maguyon and then another with an old-style two pad stack save on Alex Frye.
The Titans would go up 3 – 1 just twenty seconds into the third. After Olson won the opening draw for the Rebels, the puck would go into the Titans’ near side corner where it was retrieved by Manoukian. The defenseman sent a long stretch pass up to Tate Singleton at the Rebels blueline. Singleton entered the offensive zone on a 2 on 1 with Matthew Cameron. Singleton passed the puck to Cameron on his right and Cameron took a wrist shot that beat Keane long side for his eighth goal on the season.
Husted would extend the Titans lead at the 6:11 mark into the third. After a battle inside the Titans’ zone, Aaron Maguyon came away with the puck and tried to pass it back to the point to defenseman Seth Bergeron but the puck was disrupted by Husted. As the puck went into the Rebels zone Husted outskated the Rebels defenseman and took a shot at the faceoff dot that went through Keane’s five hole to make it a 4 – 1 game.
Keane turned aside 23 of 27 shots while Perrone stopped 26 of 27. Click here for the box score.
The Rebels are off until December 31st and then begin to prepare for the second half of the season which starts with a three-game homestand beginning on January 4 against the Northeast Generals.
