Titans mount three-goal comeback but lose to Generals in OT

Feb 13, 2018

The New Jersey Titans scored three goals in the final six minutes to force overtime, but gave up the final goal in a 7-6 loss to the Northeast Generals on Sunday afternoon at the New England Sports Village.

Salvaging a point in the game, the Titans have gone 3-0-2 in their last five. However, with the loss, New Jersey falls to 20-15-4 and remain four points behind the third-place Generals in the East Division.

Midway through the first period, the Titans went on the power play, but it was Louis Boudon who opened the scoring for the Generals with a shorthanded goal. Fortunately, Nick Boyagian responded 42 seconds later with a power-play goal to even the score.

Not long after the goal, Cam Kuhl took a penalty, allowing Colin Bilek to convert on the power play for his 15th goal of the season. Alex Cohen extended the lead to 3-1 with the Generals’ second shorthanded goal of the game, but once again Nick Boyagian scored on the power play to cut the deficit to one.

The play went back and forth throughout most of the second period, and the Titans went back on the power play when Colin McCabe was called for boarding at 13:07. Unfortunately for the Titans, Mike Egan recorded his 17th goal of the season and picked up the Generals’ third shorthanded goal of the game, making the score 4-2 in their favor. On the Titans’ next power play opportunity, however, Tate Singleton scored to cut the deficit back to one goal.

Jeff Skinner, a deadline acquisition from the Springfield Jr. Blues, netted the next two goal for the Generals. He picked up two power-play goals within the first nine minutes of the third period, giving Northeast a 6-3 lead. After the sixth goal, Titans head coach Craig Doremus decided to pull Brandon Perrone–who stopped 31 of the 37 shots he faced–in favor of Matt Ladd.

Things appeared to get worse when the Titans took a bench minor for too many men on the ice, but they managed to get a shorthanded goal when Wade Novak found a wide open Singleton for a tap-in goal. It was Singleton’s 12th goal of the season and second of the night.

Three minutes later, Kyler Head slid the puck to the middle on a two-on-two rush, where Wade Novak slammed a shot past Generals’ goaltender David Fessenden for his eighth goal of the season while bringing the deficit back down to one goal. Remarkably, Novak’s goal was also the only one out of the 13 that night scored during five-on-five play.

With time winding down, Kuchynski was sent to the box for abuse of an official, sending the Titans back on the power play. They won the faceoff, and as Cameron took the puck around the net, he slipped the puck back to towards the left post where Tyler Antonucci scored on a one-timer and tied the game with 1:28 left on the clock.

Matt Demelis took a boarding minor 42 seconds into the extra session, putting the Titans on the power play yet again. The Generals, however, were able to kill off the penalty, and Brady Gaudette scored the game-winning goal 3:23 into overtime.

The Titans are now 6-4-2 against the Generals this season and will play host to them this weekend with games on Saturday and Sunday. However, the Titans will first play the Philadelphia Rebels in a Valentines Day matchup at the Middletown Sports Complex with a 7 p.m. puck drop.