The visiting Northeast Generals scored four unanswered goals and went onto defeat the Titans 5 – 2 in game one of this two-game series last night at the Middletown Sports Complex.
Former Titan Jake LaRusso scored at 6:04 into the first period to open the scoring. Northeast’s Paul Minnehan picked up the loose puck at center ice and passed it to a breaking LaRusso down the near side boards. As the Colts Neck, NJ native gained the line, he got behind the Titans defense and walked in all along on Jacob Torgner, deked towards the goalies left, and deposited the biscuit up and over the prone goaltender to make it a 1 – 0 game. It was LaRusso’s sixth goal (and fifteenth overall point) since being acquired by North Iowa in late September.
Anthony Calafiore was called for slashing with 5:33 remaining in the period to give Northeast the man advantage. Forty-one seconds later the visitors doubled their lead. The Generals’ Jackson McCarthy picked up the loose puck along the near side half wall inside the offensive zone and passed it back to Minnehan at the top of the point. Minnehan sent a return pass to McCarthy who dumped it downlow to LaRusso in the corner. LaRusso waited for a seem to open and sent the puck all the way back to Minnehan at the top of the point. The veteran defenseman passed the biscuit to David Andreychuk at the far side faceoff dot and Andreychuck took a one-timer that beat Torgner short side to make it a 2 – 0 game.
Another former Titan Joe Schubert scored at 2:23 into the middle stanza to make it 3 – 0. After Northeast won the draw just outside the Titans zone, the puck went back to Nick Recupero who head manned it up to Andrew DellaDonna breaking down the near side boards. After DellaDonna gained the line, he passed the biscuit to Schubert on his left. As Schubert cut towards the net, he backhanded the biscuit through Torgner’s five hole for Schubert’s fourth goal of the season.
The Generals’ Emerson Miller scored with 9:37 left in the second to make it a 4 – 0 game. Torgner was then immediately replaced by Marino Ramirez.
Michael Young scored a powerplay goal just forty-nine seconds into the final period to break Generals’ netminder Toby Hopp shutout bid and make it a 4 – 1 game. It was Young’s fourth goal of the season.
Levente Keresztes also scored his fourth goal of the season, a powerplay goal, at 7:51 into the third to cut the Titans deficit in half but Northeast’s Ryan Schelling hit the back of the net with 3:15 remaining in the game to put the contest out of reach and close out the scoring.
Torgner and Ramirez combined to stop 29 of 34 shots while Hopp turned aside 33 of 35. Click here for the complete box score.
Game two of this two-game series will be held at 7:00PM. There will be a meet and greet with the players immediately following the game.