MIDDLETOWN, N.J. — The Philadelphia Rebels saw a strong road effort slip away Saturday night, as the New Jersey Titans erased a two-goal deficit with four unanswered goals to claim a 4-2 win in the second game of a home-and-home series.
The game was scoreless after one period, with both teams feeling each other out and goaltenders Ilja Nikitins and Tyler Rounds setting the tone early. Philadelphia was limited to five shots in the opening frame but tightened up defensively to keep the Titans off the board.
The Rebels broke through midway through the second period and appeared to seize control. Dylan Moran opened the scoring to give Philadelphia a 1-0 lead, and Luke Hogan followed with another tally minutes later to make it 2-0. The goal marked the first of the campaign for Hogan and the second in as many days for Moran. Philadelphia carried play for much of the period, generating sustained offensive-zone pressure and outshooting New Jersey 14-10 in the middle frame.
Momentum shifted late in the second when the Titans struck to cut the deficit in half before intermission. Jonathan Lanza sparked New Jersey, who tied the game four minutes later.
The Titans pulled ahead with the go-ahead goal midway through the period. Joe Pocrnic scored twice during the comeback, while Jonathan Lanza and Ryan Murphy also found the net as New Jersey flipped the game with four straight goals.
Nikitins finished with 24 saves on 27 shots for Philadelphia, while Rounds stopped 21 of 23 for the Titans. The Rebels went 1-for-5 on the power play, while New Jersey was held scoreless on five chances of its own.
Philadelphia was unable to generate a late response after falling behind, managing just four shots in the third period. The loss drops the Rebels to 17-21-2-6 as they continue to battle in a tightly packed East Division race.