Kyle Jeffers scored the game-winning goal in overtime as the New Jersey Titans defeated the Northeast Generals at New England Sports Village, 3-2-, on Sunday afternoon.
Gavin Gulash and Zach Nazzarett, who both had two-goal games on Saturday, scored again on Sunday while Matt Ladd made 27 saves in the win that completed the Titans’ sweep over the Generals. Head coach Craig Doremus spoke about his team’s effort in the back-to-back.
“We were extremely happy with the effort today. Aside from a few shifts here and there, we played well and were able to execute our style of play. Full credit to the guys on being able to respond again after a quick turnaround and some early morning travel on Saturday,” Doremus said.
Ladd was sharp in the opening minutes of the game, stopping a bank shot from crossing the goal line before sweeping it away. Minutes later, he made a big pad save on Brady Gaudette on a breakaway chance. It was Alex Cohen who finally broke through at 16:31, when he corralled a pass between the hash marks and wired a wrist shot high-glove side.
Gavin Gulash responded for the Titans at 3:49 of the second period. Eric Manoukian made a stretch pass from his own blue line and sprang Gulash on a breakaway, as he went five-hole on Generals goaltender Marko Sturma and collected his seventh goal of the season. Northeast retook the lead minutes later when Connor Marshall deflected a wrist shot from the blue line that found its way through traffic to beat Ladd.
The Titans evened the score again early in the third period when Michael Outzen slid a pass to Nazzarett in the low slot. The Miami University commit ripped a one-timer past Sturma for his ninth goal of the season. Doremus spoke about the performances of both Nazzarett and Gulash after the game.
“Gulash and Nazzarett were able to contribute again offensively throughout the weekend. The goal from Nazz got our team back in the game early in the third period, and Gavin had a big weekend for us overall,” Doremus said. “I think the challenge for Gavin is to maintain that level and consistently find the back of the net. If he can do that, he will quickly become a special player in this league.”
The score remained deadlocked at two at the end of regulation. One minute and 56 seconds into the three-on-three session, Kyle Jeffers carried the puck around the Generals’ net and took a shot that trickled past Sturma to cap off the Ttians’ 3-2 win.
Jeffers’ goal, aside from winning the game, further showcased his meteoric rise as an offensive weapon since the start of the 2018-19 season. In just 18 games this year, the Oviedo, Fla native has already matched his goal total from 2017-18 with 13. He currently has eight assists, only six fewer than what he finished with last season. Doremus spoke about Jeffers’ electrifying start to the season.
“More than anything, it speaks to the work he put in during the offseason and through the early part of this season. We fully believe in Kyle’s ability and think he will continue to stay hot through the entire season and playoffs,” he said.
The Titans, now in second place of the East Division with a 12-6-0 record, have won four straight and eight of their last nine games. They return to action this weekend with a home-and-home against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights. The first game will take place at Revolution Ice Centre on Friday at 3 p.m., and will conclude on Saturday night in Middletown with a 7:30 puck drop.