Danbury forward Levi Stauber scored thirty-eight seconds into overtime to give the Jr. Hat Tricks a 5 – 4 victory over the visiting New Jersey Titans. The defeat ended the Titans four game winning streak.
All four of New Jersey’s tallies were by special teams.
After a scoreless first, the second period was wild and entertaining in which a combined seven goals were recorded.
The Titans took a 1 – 0 lead just :23 seconds into the middle stanza. With the Titans on the powerplay which carried over from the first period when Danbury’s Porter Schachle was called for cross-checking, Nick Seitz scored his first of two goals of the evening. After Christian Stoever made a blocker save, the deep rebound came out to Jake LaRusso at the near side blueline and he passed it up to Matthew Iasenza who skated down the boards and into the offensive zone. As Iasenza cut across the goal mouth, he took a shot that was saved by Danbury’s goalie Edvard Nordlund but Seitz batted the loose puck into the back of the net.
The Hat Tricks then went onto score three consecutive goals beginning at 3:41 into the second period. After the Hat Tricks dumped the puck deep inside the Titans zone, Stoever went behind the net to stop the biscuit and made a backhanded pass to Anthony Mollica. Mollica started to skate up the near side and sent a bounce pass off the boards that was intercepted by the Tricks Robert Hyde at the top of the faceoff circle. As Hyde circled back to the blueline, he made a centering pass downlow to Gabe Dombrowski in the slot. Dombrowski went from his forehand to his backhand and lifted the puck past Stoever to make it a 1 – 1 game.
Less then a minute later, Danbury took the lead. After the Tricks won the draw deep inside their own zone, the loose puck was picked up by Nolan Barrett who skated through center ice and passed it over to Alex Krause on his left. As Krause gained the line, he skated towards the Titans net. As he reached the goal line, he made a centering pass out front to Jason Kleinhans who redirected the puck past Stoever for his third goal of the season.
At 9:10 into the second Connor Pelc was called for cross-checking to give the Hat Tricks the man advantage. With time about to expire on the powerplay, Danbury doubled their lead. The Hat Tricks’ Andrew Eberling won the draw deep inside the Titans zone and passed the puck back to Barrett at the end of the faceoff circle. Barrett waited for the play to develop and he made a backdoor pass to Alexi Van-Houtte Cachero who redirected the puck past Stoever for his first goal of the season.
Danbury’s Joshua Burke was called for tripping with 7:57 remaining in the period to give the Titans the man advantage. A minute and a half later Seitz scored his second goal of the game to bring New Jersey within one. Caleb Price set up the play behind his own net and cut out front and passed the puck to Iasenza along the far side boards at center ice. Iasenza made a push pass to Seitz who skated into the offensive zone. As Seitz reached the faceoff circle, he took a wrist shot that beat Nordlund long side for his ninth goal of the season. Six of Seitz’s nine goals this season have come against Danbury.
A minute after Seitz drew the Titans within one, Danbury regained their two-goal lead. After the Tricks Levi Stauber took a shot out front that went wide of the net, the puck bounced off the end boards to Mark D’Agostino who threw a pass on net from the goal line that was saved by Stoever but the rebound came right out to D’Agostino who wristed the puck past the fallen Titans netminder to make it a 4 – 2 game.
Danbury’s Valentino Passarelli was called for interference to give the Titans the man advantage. Twenty-three seconds later Anthony Calafiore scored his first goal of the game. With Mollica setting up the play at the top of the slot, he passed the puck to Zach Nazzarett at the top of the near side faceoff circle. Nazzarett made a cross-ice pass to Jack Ring who made centering pass to a wide-open Calafiore in the slot and the Staten Island, NY native redirected the puck past Nordlund to bring the Titans within one.
With 7:05 remaining in the third period, Jake Suede was called for roughing to give the Jr. Hat Tricks the man advantage. A minute later Calafiore scored his second goal of the game to knot the score at four. After the Titans dumped the puck deep in the Danbury zone, it was played by Nordlund at the goal line and he left it for Burke. As the Tricks forward circled behind and around his own net, he was stripped of the puck by Iasenza at the faceoff dot and Iasenza passed it to Calafiore out front who buried it top shelf past Nordlund for his eleventh goal of the season.
With the game in overtime, Schachle had the puck in the offensive zone at the near side blueline. Schachle charged towards the net and as he cut through the goal mouth, he took a shot that was saved by Stover but Stauber knocked in the rebound to give the Jr. Hat Tricks the 5 – 4 win.
Stoever stopped 24 of 29 shots while Nordlund turned aside 26 of 30. Click here for the box score. It was Stoever’s first loss as a Red Bucket.
The Titans will now play the Northeast Generals for a two-game series starting tomorrow night at the Middletown Sports Complex.