Ryan Coughlin and Michael Young each had a pair of goals to help the Titans roll to a 6 – 1 win over the visiting Maryland Black Bears to complete the weekend sweep between the teams. It was the Red Buckets season high seventh straight win and ninth out of their last ten games.
Maryland’s Luke Van Why was called for hooking at 4:59 into the first period to give the Titans the man advantage. A minute and a half later Young put the Red Buckets on the board. With the Titans pressuring in the offensive zone, Billy Feczko set up the play at the top of the blueline and passed the puck over to David Posma at the top of the near side faceoff circle. Posma took a shot that was saved by Maryland’s Luca Di Pasquo but the rebound came right out to Young on the door step and the Kings Park, NY native buried the biscuit into the back of the net to make it a 1 – 0 game.
With 7:48 remaining in the period, Maryland’s Ryan Bottrill was called for cross checking to put the Titans back on the powerplay. A minute and a half later, Anthony Calafiore doubled the Titans lead. After Calafiore won the draw deep inside the offensive zone, he was able to muscle his way around a Maryland defender and cut to his left through the crease. He took a shot that was saved by Di Pasquo but Calafiore picked up his own rebound and backhanded the biscuit into the net for his team high 24th goal of the season.
Coughlin scored his second goal of the game at 8:57 into the middle stanza. Young started the play at the top of the near side point and took a low line shot that Tommy Bannister stopped in the crease. Bannister went to his right through the goal mouth and took a shot that was saved by Di Pasquo but the puck trickled through his pads and Coughlin, who had circled around the net, tapped the biscuit into the empty net for his thirteenth goal of the season and ninth as a Titan.
The Titans went up 4 – 0 with 5:15 remaining in the period. Feczko brought the puck out of his own zone along the near side boards and passed it up to a breaking Rocco Testa-Basi at center ice. As Testa-Basi gained the offensive zone line, he passed the puck to Brendan Dumas on his right. As Dumas reached the bottom of the far side faceoff circle, he took a wrist shot that beat Di Pasquo long side for Dumas’ nineteenth goal of the season.
Coughlin scored a powerplay goal at 1:10 into the third period to make it 5 – 0. Maryland’s Brad McNeil broke Andrew Takacs’ fourth shutout bid at 3:43 into the final period to make it 5 – 1. Young closed out the scoring with five minutes remaining in regulation to make it a 6 – 1 game.
Takacs stopped 21 of 22 shots in the victory while Di Pasquo turned aside 28 of 34 in defeat. Click here for the box score.
The Titans will continue their homestand on Wednesday night at 7:00PM as they face the Danbury Jr. Hat Tricks.