The Jamestown Rebels scored three unanswered second period goals to defeat the visiting New Jersey Titans 3 – 2 to snap the Red Buckets eight game winning streak.
New Jersey opened the scoring with 1:46 remaining in the first period on Titans Youth U18AAA Premier forward Ethan Wongus’ first NAHL goal.
Wongus, who was called up to the organization’s top team for the weekend, brought the puck up through the neutral zone along the far side boards and dumped it in behind the Jamestown net where it was picked up by the Rebels Owen West who sent the puck back up along the boards and it was intercepted by Eric Charpentier at the half wall. Charpentier took a wrist shot that was blocked out front and the rebound came right out to Rocco Testa-Basi who took a shot that was saved by Rebels netminder Jon Howe, but the rebound came right out to Wongus who jammed the biscuit past Howe short side to make it a 1 – 0 game.
The Rebels then scored three straight goals in the second period, including one from former Titan Noah Szretter.
Szretter’s tied the game at 5:53 into the middle stanza. Jamestown’s Jak Vaarwerk brought the puck up through center ice and into the Titans zone along the near side boards. As Vaarwerk gained the line, he went behind the Titans net and started to skate towards the far side hash marks. He stopped, reversed, and then made a centering pass out front to Szretter who took a wrist shot that went bar down and past Titans goaler Andrew Takacs for Szretter’s third goal of the season.
The Rebels took a 2 – 1 lead with 3: 39 remaining in the second period. After Takacs made a save, the rebound went into the Titans far side corner where it was picked up by Jamestown’s Marcus Kivela Carlzon who sent it back to Szretter at the point. As Szretter skated towards the faceoff dot, he took a shot that was saved by Takacs, but Reid Lune was left all alone on the doorstep and he tapped the rebound into the open net for the goal.
Jamestown doubled their lead a minute later. John Lundy brought the puck up along the far side boards and into the Titans zone. As Lundy reached the top of the faceoff dot, he made a drop pass for John Musella. Musella made a centering pass out front to a wide-open Lundy who deked Takacs by going from his backhand to his forehand and Lundy deposited the puck into the open net for his ninth goal of the season.
Testa-Basi cut the Titans deficit in half with 6:50 remaining in the third period. Nick Ring picked up the loose puck in Jamestown’s near side corner and passed it to Michael Young who was to the left of Howe but behind the net. Young took a sharp angle shot that was saved by Howe, but the rebound came right out to Testa-Basi who shot it long side past Howe to close out the scoring.
Takacs stopped 20 of 23 shots in defeat while Howe turned aside 20 of 22 for the win, the Rebels first at home this season. Click here for the box score.
The Titans now will play two-games on the road for a series against the Danbury Jr. Hat Tricks starting on Wednesday and the second game will be played on Thursday before a brief Thanksgiving break.