Seven different Rebels scored to lead the Rebels to a 9 – 0 win last night to complete a weekend sweep over the Northeast Generals. The win was goalie Jack Leavy’s fourth shutout giving him and goalie partner Mareks Mitens fifteen on the season setting a new North American Hockey League record for most team shutouts in a season.
The Rebels opened the scoring quickly. They were able to keep pressure in the offensive zone while making a line change. Defenseman Ryan Solomon hopped over the boards and skated to the high spot. After noticing that the passing lanes were clogged, he took a designed shot that went off the boards behind the Generals net. The puck was picked up by Carter Woolley and he fed it back to the point to Solomon. Solomon took a one-timer that went through goalie Parker Swanson’s five hole to give the Rebels a 1 – 0 lead with 3:27 into the second period. It was Solomon’s seventh goal on the season.
With the teams playing four on four, Brennan Kapcheck had the puck at the top of the far side point. He skated all the way into the Generals zone and behind the net. He brought the puck back out to the top of the near side point and passed it into the corner to Andrew Hart. Hart passed the puck to Gvido Jansons who was in the far side corner. Jansons brought the puck up along the boards and passed back to Andrew Bellant who skated to the end of the faceoff circle. Bellant skated hard to the net and took a snap shot that beat Swanson glove side to give the Rebels a 2 – 0 with 6:06 remaining in the period. It was Bellant’s twenty fourth goal on the season. It was technically a power play goal since the Rebels’ penalty had just expired.
The Rebels would go up 3 – 0 on a Brennan Kapcheck goal. As the Generals were trying to break out of their own zone, Woolley intercepted the puck at the top of the blue line. He skated to the near side corner to set up the play. He passed the puck back to the point to Gvido Jansons. Jansons sent a pass over to Kapcheck at the other point. Kapcheck took a shot that beat Swanson down low and long side with 2:19 remaining in the opening period.
Like the first period, the Rebels opened the second period scoring very early. As the Generals tried to set up in their far side corner, Bellant intercepted a pass and skated through the slot. He made a drop pass to Ryan Patrick who saw Drew Blackmun skating to the bottom of the near side faceoff circle. Patrick passed the puck to Blackmun who buried a shot past Swanson to give the Rebels a 4 – 0 lead just 2:22 into the middle stanza. It was Blackmun’s fourteenth goal on the season.
The rout was on.
The Rebels would pick up another goal by Solomon, two by Patrick, and one by Aaron Maguyon and another by Gianluca Esteves. In all during the evening, Patrick had four points (2 goals and 2 assists), Evgeny Yakovlev had three points (all assist) while Solomon, Woolley, Bellant, and Esteves each had two points. The Rebels went three for three on the power play.
The only remaining question was whether or not Jack Leavy would get his fourth shutout on the season. He did which gave the Rebels their fifteenth on the season to set a new NAHL team record for most team shutouts on the season. It eclipsed the mark of fourteen set by the Wenatchee Wild during the 2011-12 season.
Leavy stopped all 16 shots he faced while the combination of Generals’ goalies would stop 33 of 42 shots. Click here for the box score. These two teams will play two games next weekend at iceWorks.
The victory gives the Rebels their thirty sixth on the season, a new team high. Coupled with New Jersey’s win over Johnstown, the Rebels now have a ten point lead over the second place Tomahawks.
