SEWELL, N.J. — The Philadelphia Rebels scored twice in a 30-second span in the opening period and held off a late push from the Elmira Aviators to earn a 4-3 victory Friday night at Hollydell Ice Arena.
Justin Vlassis, Jake Schultz, Oscar Djurberg and Emmet McClaine each scored for Philadelphia (8-6-1-0), earning its second consecutive win.
Schultz finished with a goal and an assist, while Gavin Callahan, Broxton Ingle and Dylan Moran each recorded an assist. Ben Varsa made 27 saves on 30 shots to secure the victory.
Elmira (5-8-0-1) opened the scoring just over two minutes into the first period when Timofei Korober netted his fourth goal of the season to give the Aviators an early 1-0 advantage.
Philadelphia responded with two goals just 30 seconds apart to take its first lead of the night.
Vlassis capitalized on a rebound in front of the net for his third goal of the season before Schultz found the back of the net during a netmouth scramble for his first goal of the year, giving the Rebels a 2-1 lead heading into the first intermission.
Philadelphia controlled much of the opening period offensively, outshooting Elmira 19-10 through the first 20 minutes.
The Aviators evened the score midway through the second period when Matthew Maglio converted on the power play for his fifth goal of the season, tying the game at two.
The Rebels regained the lead late in the middle frame as Djurberg scored his fourth goal of the season and his second in as many games, sending Philadelphia into the second intermission with a 3-2 advantage.
McClaine extended the Rebels’ lead to 4-2 in the third period with his third goal of the season, providing Philadelphia with a two-goal cushion.
Elmira continued to apply pressure in the final frame, and Maximus McGuire cut the deficit to one with his third goal of the year with 5:20 remaining in regulation.
Despite being outshot 14-4 in the third period, Philadelphia held off the Aviators’ late push to preserve the 4-3 victory. The Rebels finished with a 31-30 advantage in shots on goal. Philadelphia went 0-for-4 on the power play, while Elmira converted twice on four opportunities.
Varsa stopped 27 shots in the victory, while Elmira goaltender Conor O’Brien made 27 saves on 31 shots in the loss.
The win marked Philadelphia’s first victory against Elmira this season and extended the Rebels’ winning streak to two games following Wednesday’s overtime victory over Danbury.
Philadelphia and Elmira will meet again on Saturday night at Hollydell Ice Arena as the Rebels look to close out the weekend series with another victory