Caesar Björk and Brock Jones each scored a pair of goals while Billy Sheridan and Joe Stauber also lit the lamp to lead the Rebels to a 6 – 1 win over the visiting Elmira Aviators in game one of this two-game series. Philadelphia went four for 10 on the powerplay. It was the Rebels second straight win.
With the win, the Rebels move into eighth place in the East Division in the standings, just a point behind seventh place Northeast with three games in hand. They are five points behind the New Hampshire Mountain Kings for the last playoff spot with two games in hand.
Sheridan was playing in his 100th NAHL career game while Jones was playing in his 155th career NAHL game which is now the most games played in Rebels history surpassing long time Philadelphia/Jamestown defenseman Seth “Bergy” Bergeron.
Ironically Elmira opened the scored at 5:07 of the first period. The Aviators’ Curtiss Sturgeon brought the puck out of his own end and through center ice into the offensive zone. As Sturgeon gained the line, he passed the puck to Ben Norris along the far side boards. Norris made a nice move around a Rebels defender and went towards the net. Norris took a shot that handcuffed Rebels goalie Owen Crudale and the rebound came right to Norris who tucked the puck into the back of the net to give Elmira a 1 – 0 lead.
The Rebels then scored six consecutive goals beginning with Jones’ first of the night at 9:46 of the opening period. As Norris tried to bring the puck into of offensive zone along the near side boards, Ryan Vaites poked the puck off Norris’ stick and swiped the biscuit up to Jones who carried a burst of steam up along the boards into to the Elmira zone. As Jones went towards the cage, he backhanded the puck up and over the short side shoulder of Aviators goalie Wesley Jefferson-Swint II to even the score at one.
Elmira’s Bryce Terry was called for hooking just 1:40 into the second period. With time about to expire on the man advantage, Björk scored the eventual game winner. Stauber started the play at the top of the slot and passed the biscuit to Ruslan Jamaldinov on his left. Jamaldinov made a cross-ice pass from just outside the faceoff circle to Björk who took a one-timer from the near side faceoff dot that beat Jefferson-Swint II short side to give the Rebels a 2 – 1 lead.
Sheridan doubled the Rebels lead at 8:25 of the middle stanza. As Elmira’s Chase Murray’s holding call was set to expire, Ryan Bunting brought the puck into the offensive zone. As Bunting reached the far side faceoff dot circle, he made a drop pass to Jones who immediately passed the puck to Sheridan in the high slot and Sheridan turned and took a wrist shot that beat Jefferson-Swint II high blocker side for Sheridan’s tenth of the season.
After Elmira’s Eron Mitchell received a game misconduct with 9:13 remaining in the second, it gave the Rebels a five-minute powerplay. Björk made it 4 – 1 with eight minutes left in the period. Jamaldinov started the play as he went down the far side boards and sent a pass back to Stauber and the point. Stauber made a cross-ice pass to Björk inside the near side faceoff circle and Björk took a one-timer from almost the identical spot of his first goal and beat Jefferson-Swint II low, short side for his team high eighteenth goal of the season. It was the second time this year Björk scored two goals in a game. The last time was back on October 25 against the Aviators.
Jones’ second goal with 2:14 left in the period made it 5 – 1, and Stauber capped off the scoring with a clapper off the faceoff with a half-second remaining in the middle stanza to make it 6 – 1.
Crudale turned aside 23 of 24 shots while Jefferson-Swint II stopped 32 of 38. Click HERE for the complete box score.
