SEWELL, N.J. — The Philadelphia Rebels (5-10-0-1) were held scoreless in a 3-0 loss to the New Jersey Titans on Friday night at Hollydell Ice Arena.
Goaltender Ilja Nikitins turned aside 38 of 41 shots in another strong performance, but the Rebels couldn’t find the back of the net as their losing streak reached seven games.
After a scoreless first period, New Jersey broke through midway through the second when Kristofers Krumins opened the scoring off an assist from Tyler Rothstein. The Titans added another late in the frame, as Tate Pecknold doubled the lead on the power play after a setup from Blake Jones and Luke Schoen.
Philadelphia continued to battle in the third, generating a few scoring chances, but New Jersey goaltender Andrei Nikolaev stopped all 18 shots he faced to preserve the shutout. Skogen Schrott added an insurance goal at 13:09 of the third period to make it 3-0.
The game turned physical in the later stages, featuring several roughing minors and a fight between Marshall Swanson and New Jersey’s Luke Matthews. The Rebels went 0-for-4 on the power play, while the Titans finished 1-for-5.
The Rebels will look to bounce back Saturday night when they travel to Middletown Sports Complex to close out the weekend series against the Titans. Puck drop is set for 5:30 p.m.