New Hampshire’s Jaden Johnson scored his second goal of the game with 12.6 seconds remaining in the contest to give the Mountain Kings a 4 – 3 win over the visiting Rebels to complete a weekend sweep between the teams. Both Rebels losses this weekend were by the same score.
Kalib Capecci, Joe Stauber and Caesar Bjök scored for the Rebels. It was Philadelphia’s third straight loss – all on the road.
Despite a scoreless first period, each team had their chances, particularly the Rebels but they went 0 – 3 on the main advantage. Rebels netminder Beau Lane and his counterpart for New Hampshire Sam Scopa played well to keep the score at zero entering the second period.
The Rebels took their first lead of the game at 4:08 into the middle stanza on Capecci’s first career junior goal. Ryan Bunting picked up the loose puck in the slot in his own zone and passed it up to a breaking Billy Sheridan down the far side boards. As Sheridan gained the line on a two-on-two with Capecci, he made a quick pass to Capecci who split the New Hampshire defensemen, and Capecci beat Scopa to make it a 1 – 0 game.
Stauber doubled the Rebels lead at 7:44 of the second. Thomas Neu picked up the loose puck at center ice just outside the offensive zone. As Neu gained the line, he passed the biscuit to Stauber on his right, and Stauber took a wrist shot from the far side faceoff circle that beat Scopa long side for Stauber’s second goal of the season.
The Mountain Kings then scored two unanswered goals to even the score beginning with 8:42 left in the second. New Hampshire’s Rogiero Cacciarelli brought the puck up along the far side boards and wrapped the puck along the boards and behind the Rebels net where it was picked up by Cole Roenick. Roenick immediately sent a pass out front to Cacciarelli who took a one-timer in the slot as he was falling that beat Lane to make it a 2 – 1 game.
Oli Genest, Friday night’s hero for the Mountain Kings, evened the score with 4:04 remaining in the middle stanza. With play behind the Rebels net, New Hampshire’s William-Francisco Parent battled for the puck and sent it out to Michael Solominsky by the near side faceoff circle. Solominsky took a wrist shot that was deflected out front by Genest and past Lane for Genest’s twentieth goal of the season which ties him for the most goals in the league.
Björk gave the Rebels took their second lead of the evening at 8:04 into the third period. With play in the offensive zone, Björk sent a pass downlow to Abby Alibek who was to the left of the New Hampshire net. Alibek circled and made a pass to Bjork who took a wrist shot in the slot that beat Scopa for Björk’s eighth goal of the season.
Johnson scored his first goal of the game shorthanded with 3:30 remaining in regulation. With time winding down on New Hampshire’s penalty kill, Roenick picked up the loose puck in his own slot and skated through center ice and into the offensive zone. As Roenick gained the line, he made a backhanded pass from the bottom on the near side faceoff circle through the slot to Johnson who redirected the puck past Lane to even the score at three.
Johnson then scored the game winner with 12.6 seconds left in the game. With New Hampshire pressuring in the offensive zone, the loose puck was picked up Alex Gelhar at the end wall. Gelhar made a pass to Johnson who was at the bottom of the near side faceoff circle, and Johnson took a one-timer that beat Lane long side to win the game.
Lane stopped 34 of 38 shots while Scopa turned aside 28 of 31. Click HERE for the complete box score. The Rebels will have bye week this upcoming weekend and will resume action on December 6 and 7 when they host the Maine Nordiques.
