Thomas Neu scored the visiting Rebels lone goal in their 5 – 1 loss to the New Jersey Titans. The teams split their final home and home weekend series. The Rebels went 0 for 5 on the powerplay.
New Jersey’s Owen Leahy – who scored the game tying goal in Friday’s contest – opened the scoring with 9:06 remaining in the first period. The Titans’ Ryan Novo was called for slashing at 9:07 into the period. With the man advantage was about to expire and the Rebels pressuring in the offensive zone, Ryan Vaites went to make a pass from the near side point through the slot but it was intercepted by New Jersey’s Jack Hillier who head manned the puck up to Leahy and Leahy skated through center ice and into the offensive zone all alone on Rebels rookie goaltender Anthony Sciere and Leahy deked around Sciere’s right and slid the puck into the back of the net to make it a 1 – 0 game. It was the fourth time this season that the Rebels have given up a shorthanded goal.
The Titans then scored two second period goals three minutes about to take a 3 – 0 lead starting at 5:10 into the middle stanza. At 4:36 into the second, Neu was called for roughing to give New Jersey the man advantage. Thirty-four seconds later James Schneid made it 2 – 0 for the Titans. New Jersey’s Blake Jones took a snap shot from the far side point that was blocked out front and the rebound came out to Schneid on the doorstep and Schneid jammed the puck into the back of the net for his fourth goal of the season.
Three minutes later Logan Renkowski gave New Jersey a 3 – 0 lead. As the puck went to the end wall behind the Rebels net, it was picked up by Renkowski who started to skate towards the near side corner but stopped, reversed and went towards the far side corner and did a wrap around and the snuck the puck through Sciere’s five hole for Renkowski’s ninth goal of the season.
New Jersey’s Lachlan Haegar and Hillier scored just thirty-four seconds apart in the beginning of the third to make it 5 – 0, and then Neu scored with 2:22 remaining in the game to prevent the Rebels from being shutout. It was Neu’s seventh goal of the season.
Sciere and Beau Lane (who replaced Sciere after New Jersey took a 5 – 0 lead) combined to stop 30 of 35 shots while New Jersey’s Charlie Mistretta turned aside 33 of 34. Click HERE for the complete box score. The Rebels will travel to New Hampshire next weekend for a two-game series against the Mountain Kings. It will be the first time these teams will face each other this season.
