CANTON, Mass. — The Philadelphia Rebels outlasted the Northeast Generals in a wild, back-and-forth showdown Friday afternoon, skating away with a 6-5 victory that featured five lead changes and a frantic finish.
The Generals opened the scoring within the first five minutes as Alejandro Blum capped a quick sequence to give the home side an early lead. Philadelphia answered with sharp puck movement, as Abzal Alibek and Justin Vlassis set up Brayton Frick for a one-timer that beat Keagin Wilson to even the score. Billy Sheridan’s go-ahead goal came on a breakaway after Ryan Bunting floated a pass through the neutral zone, springing Sheridan in alone, where he finished to give the Rebels the lead late in the first period.
Northeast responded early in the second period on a power-play conversion from Kody Moyer, tying the game at 2-2. The Generals carried that momentum as Finn Connor found the back of the net to reclaim the lead, but it lasted just 28 seconds. Just 28 seconds later, Jordan Brothers finished a scoring chance set up by Dylan Moran, who made a slick move to create space before threading a pass into the slot.
The back-and-forth continued late in the second when Braydon Hudtloff scored with under seven minutes remaining, sending Northeast into the second intermission with a 4-3 advantage.
Philadelphia wasted little time pulling even again in the third. Just 1:04 into the period, Bunting’s goal was set up by a strong defensive play from Sheridan, who stripped the puck and slid it into the slot, where Bunting was left wide open and buried a quick blast past Wilson. Four minutes later, Sheridan struck again on a 2-on-1 rush, stepping into the slot and ripping a shot past the goaltender to give the Rebels a 5-4 lead they would not relinquish.
Frick added what proved to be a crucial insurance goal after Alibek forced a turnover deep in the zone, allowing Frick to jump on the loose puck and finish in tight to extend Philadelphia’s lead to 6-4. Northeast made one final push when Andrew Gibbons scored with 32 seconds left, trimming the deficit to one and creating a tense finish.
Frick led the Rebels with two goals, while Sheridan added two goals and an assist. Bunting finished with a goal and an assist, and Brothers chipped in a timely goal that helped swing momentum back toward the visitors during the second period. Goaltender Ben Varsa turned aside 23 shots for the Rebels.
The game also marked a milestone day for both Frick and Brothers, who each appeared in their 100th career NAHL game.
The win marked the Rebels’ first victory this season when trailing after the second period. Philadelphia improved to 17-18-2-6 on the campaign and will finish its season series against Northeast on Saturday night. Puck drop is set for 7:30 p.m.