The visiting New Jersey Titans scored four unanswered goals to comeback and defeat the Philadelphia Rebels 5 – 3 this afternoon. Tate Singleton and Zachary Faremouth each had a pair of goals for the Titans.
It was the final meeting between these two teams during the regular season in which the Rebels won nine of sixteen games but only outscored the Titans by one (43 – 42).
With 8:54 left in the first, Rebels forward Alex Frye was called for interference to give the Titans the man advantage. In a beautifully executed play, Tyler Antonucci had the puck at the top of the point. He passed it over to Singleton on his right who immediately sent a cross-ice pass over to Ryan Naumovski. Naumovski would pass it down low to Matthew Cameron who sent the puck through the goalmouth to Singleton who one-timed it past Rebels netminder Ryan Keane to give the Titans a 1 – 0 with 8:06 remaining in the opening period.
The Rebels would tie it on Eric Olson’s ninth goal on the season.
Kolby Vegara would retrieve the puck behind his own net and send it up to Chase Hamstad at the point. Hamstad would bring the puck into the neutral zone and pass it over to Auggie Moore on his right. Moore would bring the puck into the Titans zone and reverse at the near side faceoff dot. He waited and then found Olson skate towards the slot. Moore fed Olson with a crisp pass and Olson one-timed it past Titans goalie Matthew Ladd to make it a 1 – 1 game with 2:19 left in the opening period.
The Rebels would take the lead with 1:54 into the second period. Bryant Gunn would glove down the puck at center ice and rush into the offensive zone. Gunn would cut across the goalmouth and take a shot that Ladd saved but Moore picked up the rebound and hit the back of the net to make it 2 – 1 Rebels.
Philadelphia would take a two-goal lead with 7:27 into the middle stanza. The Titans would dump the puck deep inside the Rebels zone where it was retrieved by Nico Appendino behind the net. Appendino would pass it to Carson Moniz on his right. Moniz sent an oulet pass that went off of Jimmy Glynn’s stick and went directly to Luke Radetic skating up the near side boards. Radetic would cut across the slot and take a shot that was saved by Ladd but Radetic picked up his own rebound and put it past Ladd to make it 3 – 1 Rebels.
Two minutes later the Titans would begin their comeback.
Brandon Stanley was called for roughing at 7:46 into the second. With time winding down with the man advantage, Singleton would score his second goal of the game.
After the Titans won the draw in the Rebels zone, the puck would wrap around the end boards up to Antonucci who passed it down low to Cameron who sent an immediate return pass back to Antonucci. The Titans defenseman would skate towards the net and pass it down low back to Cameron who sent a backdoor pass across the slot to Singleton who one-timed it past Keane to cut the Rebels lead in half.
With 6:36 remaining in the period Faremouth would knot the game at three.
Titans’ Hunter Alden would pick up the puck in his own zone and send a bounce pass off the far side boards up to Singleton who outraced Gunn for the puck which glided into the Rebels zone. Singleton would send a backdoor pass to Faremouth who redirected the puck past Keane to tie the game.
As the time passed the halfway point in the third, Radetic sent a stretch pass from his own blueline into the Titans zone where Stanley went to pick it up. Stanley would out hustle Antonucci for the puck and he cut across the goalmouth but Ladd made the save and the puck went into the corner where it was picked up by Singleton who would bring the puck all the way down into the Rebels zone. Singleton would pass it back to Faremouth along the far side boards and he then sent the puck back to Antonucci at the point. Antonucci would send it down low to Singleton who took a sharp angle shot the was blocked out in front but the rebound came out to Faremouth who buried it past Keane to give the Titans a 4 – 3 lead with 9:10 left in the game.
With 3:42 remaining in the third, the Rebels look to tie it when Aaron Maguyon intercepted the puck at the top of the Titans zone and walked in all alone on Ladd. Maguyon took a shot that Ladd saved with his blocker but the deep rebound came up the far side boards to Holden Biebel. The Titans defenseman sent a stretch pass to Naumovski who skated in on a breakaway and beat Keane glove side to close out the scoring.
Keane stopped 23 of 28 shots while Ladd turned aside 25 of 28. Click here for the box score.
The Rebels are off until Thursday, March 29 when they will begin a three-game series with the Northeast Generals at the bunker. The Rebels have six games remaining in the regular season.
