It will be an exciting weekend between Boston and Philadelphia. The main event will be on Sunday when the National Football League’s Patriots take on the Eagles in Super Bowl LII (go Birds!). While the world will be watching the game in Minneapolis, MN, the Rebels will be traveling to Attleboro, MA (which is adjacent to Foxboro, MA and the home of the Patriots) to play the Northeast Generals for a three-game series that begins today. This morning’s game starts at 11:30am while Friday night’s game begins at 7:30pm and Saturday’s game commences at 7:00pm.
Rebels vs. Generals Overview
This weekend’s three-game series between the two teams will be the tenth, eleventh and twelfth times they will have played each other in the 16-game series. The Rebels have won seven of the nine games outscoring the Generals 37 – 22. The last time they played was back on January 6 when Carson Moniz scored 2:57 into overtime to give the Rebels a 4 – 3 win. This will be the final time during the regular season that the Rebels will travel to Attleboro.
Justin Jallen leads the Generals in points with ten (5 goals and 5 assists) against the Rebels. He also has scored the most goals against Philadelphia. Mike Egan has seven points (3 goals and 4 assists) against the Rebels while Matt Demelis (1 goal and 5 assists), Brady Gaudette (3 goals and 3 assists) and Matthew Wiesner (2 goals and 4 assists) each have six points against them. The Generals are only 1 for 35 (3%) on the powerplay against Philadelphia. Goaltenders Marko Sturma and David Fessenden have a combined 4.00 goals against average and a .887 save percentage.
Rebels forwards Aaron Maguyon (4 goals and 6 assists) and Ryan Patrick (5 goals and 5 assists) each have ten points against the Generals. Patrick has scored the most goals against Northeast with five. Defenseman Kolby Vegara has seven points (2 goals and 5 assists) against his local team. The Rebels are 11 for 32 (34%) on the powerplay. Netminders Eli Billing and Ryan Keane have a combined 2.44 goals against average and a .888 save percentage with one shutout (Billing).
Northeast Generals Overview
The Generals enter this weekend series in third place in the East Division with a 20-16-2 record for 42 points. They are fourteen points behind East Division leading Philadelphia. Northeast has won two out of its last five games. They are coming off of a 5 – 3 road win against the Johnstown Tomahawks back on January 14, the last time the Generals played. Egan leads the team in total points with thirty-eight (16 goals and 22 assists) while Colin Bilek has thirty-six points (14 goals and 22 assists). Wiesner has thirty-three points (15 goals and 18 assists). Jallen leads the team with seventeen goals. Wiesner has five game winning goals. He also has the most penalty minutes with 79 while forward Louis Boudon has the team’s best +/- with a +18.
The Generals have scored 124 goals in thirty-eight games (third most in the NAHL). They also have allowed 127 goals (ninth most in the league). The Generals are ranked nineteenth in the league on the powerplay having scored on 16.8% of their chances while they are ranked twenty-first in the league on the penalty kill having prevented the opposition from scoring 74% of the time.
Fessenden and Sturma have a combined 3.23 goals against average and a .909 save percentage with two shutouts (one each).
Rebels Overview
The Rebels enter this weekend with a 27-9-2 record for 56 points. They are in first place in the division, and they are ten points ahead of second place Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. The Rebels are 3 – 2 in their last five games, and they are coming off of a 5 – 2 road win against the New Jersey Titans.
The Rebels are led by Maguyon’s thirty points (13 goals and 17 assists). He is followed by Jensen Zerban’s twenty-eight points (13 goals and 15 assists) and Andrew Bellant’s twenty-five points (10 goals and 15 assists). Maguyon and Zerban lead the team in goals with thirteen each. Bellant has the most game-winning goals on the team with four, and he has the most penalty minutes with 105. Moniz has the team’s best +/- with a +13.
Philadelphia has scored 131 goals in thirty-eight games (fourth most in the league), and they have allowed 83 (fourth best in the league). The Rebels are second in the league on the powerplay having converted on 26.8% of their chances, and they are ranked second in the league on the penalty kill having prevented the opposition from scoring 87.4% of the time.
Billing and Keane have a combined 2.15 goals against average and a .910 save percentage with two shutouts (one each).
We interrupt this series to write: Go Birds!!!!
Fly, Eagles Fly! On The Road To Victory! Fight, Eagles fight! Score a touchdown 1, 2, 3! Hit ’em low! Hit ’em high! And watch our Eagles fly! Fly, Eagles Fly! On The Road To Victory! E-A-G-L-E-S! Eagles!
