Nick Seitz scored two goals to help lead the New Jersey Titans to a 5 – 3 over the visiting Danbury Jr. Hat Tricks this afternoon at the Middletown Sports Complex.
It was the Titans fourth consecutive win – their longest winning streak of the season.
Stephen Willey got the Titans on the board first at just 1:55 into the opening period. Jack Ford won the scrum along the far side half wall inside the offensive zone and sent a pass back to Jack Karlsson at the point. Karlsson took a clapper that was redirected by Willey out front and through Danbury’s netminder Andrew Pichora’s five hole for his sixth goal of the season.
Just a minute later Danbury tied it at one. The Tricks’ Matteas Derraugh brought the puck into the Titans zone, reversed and sent a pass back to a trailing Shane Murphy. Murphy took a wrist shot that beat Titans netminder Christian Stoever high glove side for his second goal of the season.
The Titans regained the lead at 2:53 into the second. After Josh Rule picked up the loose puck at the top of the far side faceoff circle, he passed the puck down the boards to Anthony Calafiore. The Staten Island, NY native made a seamless pass back to Karlsson at the point and Karlsson took a clapper from the top of the near side faceoff circle that beat Pichora short side for his firs NAHL goal.
Danbury tied the score at two at 4:26 into the middle stanza. After Calafiore won the draw deep inside his own zone, the puck went to Tyler Nasca on his left. Nasca tried to wrap the puck around the boards but it was intercepted by the Tricks’ Steven Spetz at the point. Spetz sent the puck downlow to Alex Duncan who was to the right of Stoever. Duncan sent a quick pass to Levi Stauber and Stauber redirected the puck past Stoever short side for his first goal of the season.
At 7:12 into the second Danbury was called for too many men on the ice. As the man advantage was about to expire Seitz scored his first to two straight goals. After receiving a pass from Blake Humphrey at the top of the near side faceoff circle, Caleb Price sent the puck down to Evan Werner who skated back to the faceoff circle and sent the biscuit down to Jake LaRusso who was to the right of Pichora. LaRusso made a centering pass out front and Seitz buried the puck passed a sprawled out Pichora and into the back of the net to give the Titans a 3 – 2 lead.
Seitz gave the Titans a two-goal lead with 8:09 remaining in the second period. Anthony Mollica picked up the loose puck at the top of his own far side blueline and he passed it up to Zach Nazzarett. As Nazzarett gained the line, he made a pass to Seitz on his left. Seitz took a shot that was saved by Pichora but Seitz picked up his own rebound and tucked the biscuit in behind Pichora for his sixth goal of the season. It was the thirteenth straight game in which Seitz recorded a point.
With LaRusso in the box for slashing, Murphy scored his second goal of the game to cut the Titans lead in half with 2:40 left in the period. Matteas Derraugh picked up the loose puck just outside his own blueline and rushed biscuit through center ice and into the Titans zone. Derraugh took a shot that was saved by Stoever but Derraugh picked up his own rebound to the left of Stoever. Derraugh made a centering pass out front to Murphy who wristed the puck past Stoever to make it a 4 – 3 game.
Ford scored an empty net goal with two minutes remaining in the game to close out the scoring and make it a 5 – 3 game.
Stoever stopped 35 of 38 shots in his first game as a Red Bucket while Pichora turned aside 24 of 28. Click here for the box score.
The Titans are off this weekend and will resume play for a two game series next weekend against the Northeast Generals.