Tied at two after two periods of play, Ruslan Jamaldinov, Brayton Frick and Ryan Bunting scored third period goals to lead the visiting Rebels to a 5 – 2 win over the Maine Nordiques in game one of this two-game series. Billy Sheridan and Joe Stauber scored first period goals for Philadelphia.
The win was only the Rebels second victory on the road this season and first since October 26 when they defeated the Elmira Aviators 4 – 3. It also snapped Maine’s eight game winning streak (which included two games against the Rebels).
Anthony Sciere recorded his first NAHL victory between the pipes.
Sheridan opened the scoring at the halfway mark of the first period. After the Rebels won the draw deep inside their own zone, the puck went back to Mikey Conlon at the bottom of the far side faceoff circle. Conlon immediately sent the biscuit up to Bunting breaking down the near side boards. As Bunting exited his own end, he made a cross-ice pass up to Jared Coccimiglio. As Coccimiglio reached the top of the far side faceoff circle, he passed the biscuit to Sheridan on his left. Sheridan, who was left all alone, went towards the net and took a wrist shot that beat Maine’s netminder Carter Richardson down low to make it a 1 – 0. Sheridan, who also had an assist on Bunting’s goal, ended the contest with two points, giving him five total points in the past three games.
With three minutes remaining in the period, Maine was called for too many men on the ice giving the Rebels the man advantage. Thirty-eight seconds later, Stauber doubled the Rebels. After Stauber brought the puck into the offensive zone along the near side boards, he made a cross-ice pass to Charles Panchisin, who immediately sent the biscuit back to Luky Janviriya at the top of the point. Janviriya passed the puck back to Stauber who was at the top of the faceoff circle, and Stauber took a one-timer that went through the five hole of Richardson for Stauber’s fourth goal of the season.
Maine then came back to tie the contest with two consecutive goals of the own in the middle stanza starting with Aiden Farro’s first goal of the season just 1:49 into the second. With the Nordiques pressuring in the Rebels zone, former long time New Jersey Titan Ethan Wongus picked up the puck behind the Rebels net and sent it back to Farro at the near side point. As Farro started to walk the line, he took a wrist shot that founds its way through a screen and past Sciere to make it a 2 – 1 game.
The Nordiques tied the contest at two with 2:24 left in second. After the puck was dumped into the Rebels zone, it was picked up by Maine’s Kellen Murphy at the near side half wall. Murphy sent the biscuit back to Zion Green at the point. Green took a blast that was redirected out front by Michael Stenberg and past Sciere for Stenberg’s ninth goal of the season.
The Rebels regained the lead for good at 4:53 into the third period. Ryan Vaites picked up the loose puck in his own, far side corner and passed the puck up to a breaking Caesar Björk at center ice. As Björk gained, the offensive zone line, he passed the puck up to Jamaldinov at the bottom of the near side faceoff circle and Jamaldinov took a sharp angle wrist shot that beat Richardson long side to make it a 3 – 2 game. It was Jamaldinov’s thirteenth goal of the season.
The Rebels made it 4 – 2 with 8:42 left in the period when Frick scored a breakaway goal to give him five on the season. It was Frick’s first goal since September 26 against the Bismarck Bobcats at the NAHL Showcase.
Bunting hit the back of the net a minute later to make it 5 – 2 and close out the scoring. It was Bunting’s twelfth goal of the season.
Sciere turned aside 38 of 40 shots while Maine’s netminders combined to turn aside 13 of 18. Click HERE for the complete box score.
