Tag Archives: Matthew Iasenza

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Rebels upend Titans 5 – 3

Jamestown’s defenseman Liam Hansson had a goal and two assists to lead the Rebels to a 5 – 3 victory over the visiting New Jersey Titans last night at the Northwest Arena. With the loss coupled with Johnstown’s victory, the Titans lead in the East Division now is three points.

The Rebels jumped out to an early 2 – 0 lead in the opening period with the first goal coming just 1:08 into the game. After a scrum along the far side half wall, Hansson picked up the loose puck and skated down low to the left of Titans goalie Patrick Pugliese. As Hansson reached the net, he made a centering pass out front to Carter Korpi who one-timed it past Pugliese to give Jamestown the 1 – 0 lead.

Jamestown doubled its lead at 8:48 of the first period off the stick of Tyler German. After the Titans won the draw just outside the Rebels zone, the puck was dumped into the Jamestown end behind goalie Noah West and picked up by Conner Couet who sent the puck up along the near side boards where it as picked up by Joe Teasdale at this own blueline. Teasdale made a backhanded pass to a German. As German entered the neutral zone, he sent a bounce pass off the boards to Jordan Cormier who entered the Titans zone with the biscuit. As Cormier reached the top of the faceoff dot, he made a backdoor pass to German in the slot and German redirected it past Pugliese for his third goal of the season.

Midway through the opening period, Jamestown’s Spencer Cosway was called for boarding to give the Titans the man advantage. With 8:44 left in the first, Matthew Iasenza cut the Titans deficit in half. Shane Haviland had the puck in the far side corner and passed it behind the Rebels to Iasenza who was to the left of West. Iasenza passed it up to Haviland at faceoff dot and Haviland passed it back to Brody Medeiros at the point. The Titans captain took a clapper from the point that hit the post but Iasenza was right there to tuck in the rebound past West for his twelfth goal of the season.

Jamestown regained its two-goal lead with 4:41 remaining in the first. Cormier picked up the loose puck at center ice along the far side wall and passed it up to Teasdale. As Teasdale reached the top of the faceoff circle, he turned and sent a cross-ice pass to Seth Bergeron at the top of the near side circle. Bergeron took a snapshot that went through Pugliese’s five hole and into the net to give the Rebels a 3 – 1 lead.

With 6:51 left in the middle stanza, Chris Garbe made it a 3 – 2 game. Michael Outzen intercepted a Rebels pass at the top of the far side faceoff circle and took a shot that was saved by West, but the rebound was picked up by Gavin Gulash to the left and behind of the Rebels net. Gulash centered the puck out front to Garbe who wristed the puck past West for his twenty-second goal of the year.

The Rebels went back up 4 – 2 just 1:05 into the third period. Couet picked up the loose puck in his own far side corner and passed it up to Hansson at the top of the faceoff circle. Hansson found a breaking Janis Vizbelis on his left and head manned Vizbelis the puck. Vizbelis skated down the far side boards and started to cut across the goal mouth and took a shot that beat Pugliese high, short side.

At 6:01 into the third Vizbelis served a Jamestown bench minor to put the Titans on the power play. As time was running out with the man advantage, Matt Cameron picked up the loose puck from a scrum along the near side half wall. Cameron passed it out to a wide-open Cade Penney in the slot. Penney took a clapper that was saved by West, but Penney followed up his own rebound and tucked into the open net to make it a 4 – 3 game.

The Titans closed out the scoring on Hansson’s ninth goal of the year. After Hansson dumped the puck into the Titans zone, Pugliese went to stop the puck behind his own net but there was a miscommunication between him and David Parker. Hansson’s picked up the puck wrapped it around into an open net to make it 5 – 3. Pugliese was pulled in favor of Ryan McInchak.

Pugliese and McInchak combined to stop 30 of 35 shots while West turned aside 30 of 33. Click here for the box score.

The two team will close out their weekend series tonight at 7:05 PM at the Northwest Arena.

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Garbe’s natural hat trick leads Titans to 4 – 2 win over Generals

Chris Garbe scored a natural hat trick in the third period to lead the visiting New Jersey Titans to a 4 – 2 win over the Northeast Generals last night at the New England Sports Village in Attleboro, MA. The victory completed the Titans weekend sweep over Northeast.

By sweeping this weekend’s series, the Titans won games number 35 and 36, the most wins in a single regular season in the Titans five-year NAHL franchise history.

Northeast’s Ethan Destefani opened the scoring at 7:34 of the first period. Destefani won the draw deep inside the Titans zone and the puck went back to Tyler Cooper at the top of the near side faceoff circle. Cooper sent a cross-ice back to Michael  Heneghan at the far side point. Heneghan made seem pass to Destefani out front in the slot and Destefani redirected the puck past Titans netminder Ryan McInchak to give the Generals a 1 – 0 lead.

Gavin Gulash tied the game at one with 1: 38 remaining in the first. After picking up the loose puck along the near side board’s Northeast’s Alexander Tertyshny was trying to bring the puck out of his own zone and he a made an errant cross-ice pass that when behind his teammate but it was picked up by Gulash at the top of the far side faceoff circle. Gulash made a backhanded pass to Jake LaRusso at the top of slot and LaRusso made an immediate return pass to Gulash who took a wrist shot that beat Generals goalie Connor Bradford through the five hole for his twelfth goal of the season.

After a scoreless second period, the Generals took a 2 – 1 lead just 2:14 into the third. Destefani picked up the loose biscuit in the Titans zone along the near side boards and cut towards the slot but was knocked off the puck by Gulash.  As Destefani was falling the puck slid to Jonathan Young who made a backhanded pass to defenseman Adam Smith.  As Smith reached the top of the near side faceoff he took a wrist shot that found its way through a screen and rolled under McInchak and into the net for his first goal of the season.

The game then was taken over by the Middlebury College commit Garbe.

Midway through the third, Garbe tied the game at two. As the Generals look to set up the play behind their own net, Smith brought the puck up through the slot, but he was stripped of the puck by Matthew Iasenza and Garbe picked it up. Garbe made a move out front and wristed the puck up high and past the blocker of Bradford for his nineteenth goal of the season.

With 7:22 remaining in the game, Cade Penney was called for tripping to give the Generals the man advantage. Fourteen seconds later Garbe gave the Titans the lead. After the ensuing draw deep inside the Titans zone, the Generals looked to set up and the puck went to Jonathan Young at the top of the slot. Young went to pass the puck but it was intercepted by Matt Cameron at the far side faceoff dot and Cameron immediately passed the puck up to Garbe who skated in all alone on Bradford and he wristed the puck past the Generals’ goalie’s glove hand to make it 3 – 2.

The shorthanded goal by Garbe was the Titans league high seventeenth shorthanded goal on the season, and it was a league best seventh shorthanded goal in a road game.

Garbe then completed the natural hat trick with two minutes left in the game.

As the Generals dumped the puck into the Titans zone, McInchak stopped the puck behind his own net and left it for Tyler Nasca. As Nasca brought the puck around the net he dropped it for Penney who wrapped the biscuit around the end boards and up to Gulash at his own near side blueline. Gulash passed the puck up to Garbe who skated along the boards and took a sharp angle shot from the outside of the faceoff circle that went through the five hole of Bradford to close out the scoring. It was Garbe’s twenty-first goal of the season, which makes him the third highest goal scorer on the team.

McInchak, who play very well, stopped 54 of 56 shots while Bradford turned aside 25 of 29. Click here for the box score.

“It was a big response by our club this weekend” stated Titans head coach Craig Doremus. “We got contributions up and down the lineup in big spots for each game. It was important for us to get back to in the win column this weekend. Our focus now shifts to a big weekend in Jamestown” concluded Doremus.

Next weekend the Titans travel to Jamestown to play the Rebels for two games at the Northwest Arena. It will close out the Titans seven game road trip.

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Game day preview: Titans travel to Revolution Ice Center for matinee with Knights

The Titans travel to the Revolution Ice Center in Pittston, PA today to take on the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights for a 2:00 pm puck drop.

Titans vs. Knights Overview
This will be the seventh meeting between the teams with the Titans having won all six games by a combined score of 29 – 19. Each team has held three home games. The last time they met was back on Wednesday, February 12 when the Titans won 5 – 3. Kyler Head had a goal and an assist while Mitch Machlitt had three primary assists.

Tyrone Bronte has the most points against the Titians with seven (3 goals and 4 assists) and goals (3). The Knights are 3 for 10 (30%) on the power play, and their goaltenders have a combined 4.81 goals against average and .871 save percentage.

Machlitt has the most points against the Knights with seven (3 goals and 4 assists) while Matt Cameron and Matthew Iasenza each have scored four goals. The Titans are 4 for 15 (27%) on the power play and the team’s goaltenders have a combined 2.82 goals against average and .917 save percentage with no shutouts.

Knights Overview
The Knights are currently in third place in the East Division with a 23-21-4-1 record for 51 points (16 points behind the division leading Titans). WBS has won four of their ten games, and they are coming off a 6 – 1 home win against the Maryland Black Bears (the Knights swept Maryland last weekend). The Knights have scored 144 goals (eighteenth in the league) while they have allowed 162 (eighteenth in the league). WBS is tied with the Titans for the best power play unit in the league having converted on 27.4% of their chances with the man advantage while they are last in the league on the penalty kill by preventing the opposition from converting on 64.1% on their chances.

WBS is led by Lincoln Hatten in almost every category: points (50: 22 goals and 28 assists); goals (22); game winning goals (six) and penalty minutes (117). Bronte has a team best +196.

The Knights goaltenders have a combine 3.18 goals against average and .904 save percentage with one shutout (Zach Stejskal).

Titans Overview
The Titans are in the first place in the East Division with a 34 – 11 – 0 – 1 record for 69 points and have clinched a playoff spot. They have won five of their last ten games, and they are coming off a 5 – 3 road loss against the Jamestown Rebels (the Titans were swept by the Rebels last weekend – the first time the Titans were swept this season). They also have lost three straight games. They have scored 216 goals (most in the league) and have allowed 153 (fourteenth in the league). The Titans are tied with the Knights in the league with the best power play having converted on 27.4% of their chances while they have prevented the opposition from scoring on the penalty kill 82.2% of the time (tenth best in the league).

Machlitt leads the team in total points with sixty (23 goals and 37 assists) and goals (23). Michael Outzen has a team best five game winning goals. Cade Penney has a team high +/- with +29 while Head has the most penalty minutes on the team with eighty-seven.

The Titans goaltenders have a combined 3.24 goals against average and .902 save percentage. Patrick Pugliese has 2.95 GAA and .911 SV% with one shutout.

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Titans fall to Jamestown 5 – 3

The visiting New Jersey Titans lost 5 – 3 to the Jamestown Rebels last night at Northwest Arena as the Rebels completed the weekend sweep between the two teams. It was the Titans third straight loss, the most this season.

At 2:53 of the opening period, Jamestown’s Spencer Cosway was called for head contact to give the Titans the man advantage. Less then a minute later, Mitch Machlitt scored his team high twenty-third goal of the season to start the scoring.

After Jamestown dumped the puck into center ice to clear the puck, it was picked up by Ole Andersen at the top of his own zone and he sent a long pass up to Michael Outzen at the far side blue line. As Outzen gained the line, he went to the net. As he reached the goal line, he centered the puck out front to Machlitt who jammed it into the net past Jamestown’s goalie Noah West to give the Titans a 1 – 0 lead.

With 3:27 left in the first period, Jamestown’s Brett Morich tied the game. After Hansson won the draw deep inside the Titans zone, the puck went back to Ian Carpenter at the point. Carpenter lobbed the puck towards the corner where it wrapped around the Titans net and picked by Andersen. As Andersen came out of the corner, he sent an errant pass out front that was intercepted by Morich who took a shot that trickled through Patrick Pugliese’s five hole and into the net.

Matthew Iasenza was called for goalie interference at 4:23 of the middle stanza to give Jamestown the man advantage. Twenty-three seconds later Eric Olson gave the Rebels the lead. After Renars Karkls kept the puck in the offensive by gloving down a high pass along the far side boards, he sent the puck down low to Hansson who was to the right of Pugliese. Hansson centered the puck out into the slot to Olson and the Rebels captain beat Pugliese to give Jamestown the 2 – 1 lead.

At 5:52 of the second, Chris Garbe tied the game. After the Rebels took a shot that was saved by Pugliese, the rebound came out to the slot where it was picked up by Cade Penney. Penney immediately passed the puck to Garbe on his left. Garbe skated from the top of his own slot into the offensive zone and beat West blocker side for his eighteenth goal of the season.

Jamestown regained the lead with 8:27 left in the second. With a scrum behind the Titans net, Morich picked up the loose puck and tried to wrap it around the net, but it was saved by Pugliese. The biscuit came loose to Hansson along the goal line and he centered it through the goal mouth to Jordan Cormier who tucked it into the open net to make it 3 – 2.

Josef Glamos tied the game at three with 2: 49 left in the middle stanza. After Glamos won the draw deep inside the Rebels zone, the puck went back to Shane Haviland at the top of the far side faceoff circle. Haviland passed it back to Brody Medeiros at the near side point and the Titans captain took a shot that was saved by West but Glamos tucked in the rebound for his fifteenth goal of the year.

Jamestown took the lead for good with 6:40 into the third period. Olson tried to control the puck along the end boards behind the Titans net. He brought the puck into the far side corner and then skated back towards the Titans net where it passed the puck to Nick Siffringer who was caddy corner to Pugliese’s glove side. Siffringer passed it out front to Valentino Passarelli who took a quick shot that beat Pugliese, short, glove side to give the Rebels a 4 – 3 lead.

Karkls closed out the scoring with 2:42 left in the game to give Jamestown the 5 – 3 victory.

Pugliese stopped 26 of 31 shots while West turned aside 37 of 40. Click here for the box score.

The Titans will play their third of seven straight road games on Wednesday when they travel to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton for a matinee game against the Knights beginning at 2:00pm.

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Second period dooms Titans in 7 – 3 loss to Generals

The visiting Northeast Generals scored five second period goals en route to a 7 – 3 win over the New Jersey Titans. It was the first time in six games this season that the Generals had defeated the Titans. The loss also spoiled the debut of new Titans goaltender Ryan McInchak.

The Titans took a quick lead just forty-five seconds into the game. After Michael Outzen won the draw deep inside the Generals zone, the puck went back to Mitch Machlitt directly behind Outzen and Machlitt sent it back to the near side point to Danny Dimon. Dimon sent it over to  Brad Zona who took a snapshot from the top of the faceoff circle that was saved by Northeast goalie Joey Stanizzi but the rebound came right out to Machlitt who tucked it in past Stanizzi to make it 1 – 0 Titans.

It was Machlitt’s first goal in ten games.

New Jersey doubled its lead at 9:19 of the opening period. After McInchak went behind his own net to set up the puck, he passed it up along the near side boards where it was picked up by Machlitt at the half wall. Machlitt passed it up to Matthew Iasenza at the point who sent a cross-ice pass to Outzen. As Outzen gained the offensive zone line, he went to net and passed it over to Iasenza on his left and Iasenza redirected the puck passed Stanizzi for his eleventh goal of the season.

The Generals then cut their deficit in half with 3:23 remaining in the first period. After Charlie Reid won the draw deep inside the Titans zone, the puck went back to Michael Heneghan at the point who dumped into the far side corner where it was picked up by Reid. Reid passed the puck out to Ryan Kuzmich at the faceoff dot and Kuzmich passed it down low to Alexander Tertyshny who was to the right of McInchak. Tertyshny centered the biscuit out front to Reid and he backhanded it past McInchak and into the open net for his fourth goal of the season.

Trailing 2 – 1 going into the second period, the Generals would score five of their next six goals in the middle stanza to pull away from the Titans.

Tertyshny tied at the game at the 4:24 mark. The son of former Philadelphia Flyer Dmitri Tertyshny picked up the loose puck in his own high slot and passed it up to Kyle Schroeder on his left. Schroeder passed the puck over to Clark Kerner who entered the offensive zone. As Kerner reached the bottom of the near side faceoff dot, he made a centering pass out front that was redirected by Tertyshny past McInchak for his first goal as a Northeast General.

Northeast would take the lead with 9:23 into in the second on Cam Gaudette’s seventh goal of the season. Former General Joe Nagle dumped the puck into the Northeast zone where it was picked up by Stanizzi to the left of his own net. Stanizzi made a long outlet pass to Gaudette at the Titans far side blueline. As Gaudette gained the line, he moved towards the top of the slot and took a wrister that beat McInchak blocker side to make it 3 – 2 Generals.

Fourteen seconds later the Generals doubled their lead. After the ensuing faceoff, Kuzmich picked up the loose puck at center ice and dumped it into the Titans zone where McInchak stopped it behind his own net to set up the play. Hurried, McInchak sent the puck behind his own and into his near side corner where it was picked up by a hustling Kuzmich. Kuzmich sent it back Brady Hunter at the point. Hunter took a shot that went wide and hit the end boards, but the puck took a crazy bounce and came right out to the slot and Kuzmich wristed the biscuit through McInchak’s five hole for his second goal of the season.

Gavin Gulash made it a 4 – 3 game with 8:25 left in the second period. Matt Cameron intercepted a Generals pass just along the far side blue line and he sent a bounce pass off the boards where it was picked up by Gulash at the half wall. Gulash went to the net, cut across the goalmouth and backhanded the puck up high and past Stanizzi for his eleventh goal of the season.

Less than a minute later the Generals regained their two-goal lead on Reid’s second goal of the game and fifth of the season.

Dylan Schuett scored with forty-seven seconds left in the period to make it a 6 – 3 game. Kerner closed out the scoring with 2:17 left in the game to make it 7 – 3.

The loss ended the Titans five game win streak.

McInchak stopped 26 of 33 shots while Stanizzi turned aside 26 of 29. Click here for the box score.

The Titans now will go on a seven-game road swing with four of the games against the Jamestown Rebels beginning next weekend.

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Head and Machlitt propel Titans to 5 – 3 win over Knights

Kyler Head had a goal and an assist while Mitch Machlitt had three primary assists to help lead the New Jersey Titans to a 5 – 3 win over the visiting Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights last night at the Middletown Sports Complex.

It was the Titans fourth straight victory and the win gave them a seven-point lead over the second place Johnstown Tomahawks in the East Division’s standings.

Cam Gendron started the scoring just 1:58 into the second period to give the Titans an early 1 – 0 lead. Cade Penney picked up the loose puck behind his own goal line and passed it up to Ole Andersen who moved it onto Kyle Jeffers at the top of his blue line. As Jeffers entered the neutral zone, he passed it over to Head on his left. Head gained a burst of speed and went around his defender and into the neutral zone. As Head reach the near side faceoff dot, he made a nice cross-ice pass to Gendron who redirected the back-door pass behind Knights netminder Alex Contey for his fifteenth goal of the year.

Thirty-four seconds later the Knights’ Anthony Mastromonica tied the game. WBS’ Christopher Rubenach kept the puck in Titans zone at the top of the near side point and passed it up to Sutton McDonald along the boards. As McDonald skated to the bottom of the faceoff circle, he made a centering pass out front that Mastromonica redirected past Titans goaltender Patrick Pugliese for his tenth goal of the season.

With 9:03 left in the opening period, the Knights’ Jordan Strand was called for holding to give New Jersey the man advantage. Twenty-four seconds later Head gave the Titans a 2 – 1 lead. As the Knights tried to clear the zone, the puck was kept in by Andersen at the top of the point. Andersen passed it down low to Machlitt who was to the left of Contey at the goal line. Machlitt made a behind the back pass out front to Head who wristed the puck past Contey for his fifteenth goal of the season.

Knights veteran Tyrone Bronte tied the game at two with 2:25 left in the second period. After Artur Turansky won the draw deep inside the Titans zone, the puck went back to the Strand at the near side point. Strand took a long wrist shot that was redirected out front and past Pugliese for his eight goal of the season.

Exactly a minute later the Titians regained the lead for good. Brad Zona picked up the loose puck at the top of the far side faceoff circle and pass it up to Machlitt at center ice and he immediately passed it over to Matthew Iasenza on his right. Iasenza returned the biscuit to Machlitt who entered the offensive zone. As Machlitt reached the top of the faceoff circle he passed it over to Iasenza on his right and the speedy forward beat Contey short side to make it 3 – 2.

At 2:13 into the third, captain Brody Medeiros would double the Titans lead. Medeiros picked up the loose puck at the top of his own slot and he passed it up to Iasenza at center ice. Iasenza chipped the puck into the offensive zone where it was picked up by Michael Outzen. The Highlands Ranch, CO native passed it over to a breaking Machlitt on his left. Machlitt fed the puck through the goal mouth and Medeiros redirected the backdoor pass behind Conety for his fifth goal of the season.

After Danny Dimon took a shot on goal that was blocked out front, he picked up his own rebound at the near side half wall. Dimon passed it Gavin Gulash in the slot. Gulash moved from his backhand to his forehand and beat Conety high glove side for his ninth goal of the season to give the Titans a 5 – 2 lead.

The Knights’ Lincoln Hatten scored with 1:16 remaining in the game to close out the score. Pugliese turned aside 27 of 30 shots while Conety stopped 21 of 26. Click here for the box score.

“Overall I thought we play pretty well” stated Titans head coach Craig Doremus. “Not our cleanest game but we found a way to get ot the net and create some offense. Out PK (penalty kill) stepped up big tonight and gave us a chance. We need to continue to improve as we prepare for a big weekend with the Generals coming to Middletown this weekend concluded Doremus.

The Titans will have a lite practice today and begin preparing for this weekend’s series against the visiting Northeast Generals.

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Gendron and Pugliese help lead Titans to 6 – 4 win over Black Bears

Forward Cam Gendron scored three goals while goaltender Patrick Pugliese made several Grade A saves to help lead the Titans to a 6 – 4 win over the visiting Maryland Black Bears in a seesaw game. It was Gendron’s second hat trick of the season, and three of the Titans goals were shorthanded

“It wasn’t the prettiest of efforts but nevertheless I was happy that our group was able to find a way to win” stated head coach Craig Doremus.

Gendron got the Titans on the board just eighteen seconds into the game. After the Black Bears Hunter Brackett brough the puck out of his own zone, he tried to make a cross-ice pass, but it deflected and went to Danny Dimon at his own near side blue line and the assistant captain made a bounce pass off the boards up to Matthew Iasenza. As Iasenza gained the line, he made a behind the back pass to Gendron who skated in all alone on Maryland’s goalie Aaron Randazzo and beat him through the five hole to give the Titans an early 1 – 0 lead.

At 2:15 of the opening period, Josef Glamos was called for slashing to give the Black Bears the man advantage. With time winding down on the power play, Gavin Gulash scored the Titans first shorthanded goal of the game. After the Titans dumped the biscuit deep inside the Black Bears zone, Randazzo picked up the loose puck near his net and passed up into the neutral zone where it was intercepted by the newest Titan Joe Nagle. As Nagle skated to the far side half wall, he was hit from behind but was able to send the puck to the end boards where it was picked up by Gulash. The Red Bank, NJ native avoided a check and skated towards the net to the left of Randazzo. As Gulash reached the goal line, he took a sharp angle shot that beat Randazzo high, short side for his eighth goal of the season.

The Titans took a commanding three goal lead just forty-eight seconds into the middle stanza on Tyler Nasca’s sixth goal of the season. Gendron picked up the loose puck at the top of the slot and took a shot that was saved by Randazzo, but the rebound came out to Gendron but between his skates. Gendron circled to the near side half wall and passed the biscuit back to Brad Zona at the top of the circle. Zona passed it down low to Kyler Head who was behind the Black Bears net. Head skated up along boards and as he reached the blueline, he passed it over to Nasca at the top of the far side circle and Nasca one-timed it past Randazzo far side to make it a 3 – 0 game.

The Black Bears then scored their first of three straight goals to tie the game starting at 3:20 in the second period.

Dimon knocked down a pass at the top of his own zone and cleared it to the near side half wall towards Michael Outzen. Maryland’s Garrett Szydlowski knocked Outzen off the puck, and he passed it down low to Jackson Sterrett. As Sterrett reached the end boards he passed it out front to Aaron Swanson who took a wrister that beat Pugliese through the five hole to make it a 3 – 1 game.

Luke Mountain cut the Black Bears deficit in half at 7:55 of the second. Hampus Rydqvist picked up the loose puck at the top of the slot in his own end and he head manned it up to Reid Leibold who chipped it into the Titans zone. As the puck reached the bottom of the far side faceoff circle, it was picked up by Leibold who took a backhand shot towards the net that was blocked out front, but the rebound came back to Leibold who centered it out front and Mountain redirected it past Pugliese to make it a 3 – 2 game.

With 5:30 left in the second, Szydlowski tied the game at three. As Ole Andersen picked up the loose puck behind his own net, he came out and cut through the goalmouth, but Logan Kittleson stripped him of the puck and it redirected into the far side corner where it was picked up by Aaron Swanson. Swanson came up along the boards and made a pass back to the point to Mikhael Gonchar who took a shot that was deflected out front by Szydlowski past Pugliese for his eighth goal of the season.

Less than a minute later, the Titans regained the lead on Gendron’s second goal of the game. As the Black Bears looked for a line change, Shane Haviland picked up the loose puck at his own blueline and sent it back to Zona. Zona looked to set up and skated behind his own net and sent a bounce pass off the far side boards to Haviland at center ice. Haviland passed the puck up to Gendron. As Gendron gained the line, he cut towards the center of the slot and took and shot that beat Randazzo long side to make it 4 – 3 Titans.

The Black Bears tied it at 4:40 into the third on Jack Smiley’s seventh goal of the year. After Maryland won the draw just outside the Titans blueline, the puck would go into their zone where it was picked up by Smiley who took a shot that went high and wide of the net. Maryland’s Hunter Brackett picked up loose puck and centered it out front to Smiley who lifted it past a fallen Pugliese to make it a 4 – 4 game.

Mitch Machlitt was called for tripping with nine minutes remaining to give the Black Bears the man advantage. Eight seconds later Gendron completed his hat trick. After Maryland called a time out, Gendron won the ensuing faceoff deep inside his own zone and the puck would go to Andersen who was to the right of Gendron. Andersen came up along the far side boards and cut across the middle. As Andersen gained the line, he passed it over to Gendron on his right. Gendron skated to the slot went from his forehand to his backhand and lifted the puck past a sprawled out Randazzo to give the Titans a 5 – 4 lead.

Nick DeSantis was called for cross-checking 2:51 left in the game to put Maryland back on the power play. The Black Bears pulled Randazzo for the additional attacker but Chris Garbe short an empty net goal from center ice with 1:26 remaining in the game to close out the scoring.

“I thought our start was excellent but then we took our foot off the gas and Maryland really played well” stated Doremus. “We got some timely goaltending and Cam Gendron had a special effort to help carry us. We need to tighten up our structure and execution as we prepare for another game” concluded Doremus.

Pugliese stopped 36 of 40 shots while Randazzo turned aside 17 of 23. Click here for the box score.

The Titans go for the weekend sweep as the two teams meet again at 7:00pm at the Middletown Sports Complex.

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Jeffers and Gulash help lead Titans to 4 – 1 win over Generals

Kyle Jeffers and Gavin Gulash each had a goal and an assist to help lead the Titans to a 4 – 1 win over the visiting Northeast Generals. It was the Titans twenty-seventh win of the season.

Josef Glamos started the scoring for the Titans just 2:43 into the opening period. Danny Dimon took a shot from the top of the near side point, but it was redirected out front and into the far side corner where it picked up by Gulash. The Robert Morris commit went to send the puck towards the net, but Northeast’s Dylan Schuett intercepted it. As Schuett tried to breakout of his own zone, Gulash stripped him of the puck and passed it to Jeffers on his right. As Jeffers went to the net, he passed it over to Glamos who buried the puck into the net and past Generals goalie Joey Stanizzi to give the Titans a 1 – 0 lead.

The Titans double their lead at 6:47 of the first period on Gulash’s fifth goal of the season. As the Generals tried to clear the puck in their own far side corner, it was intercepted by Matthew Iasenza at the half wall. Iasenza took a shot that went wide, and the puck went off the end boards and rolled up to the near side half wall where it picked up by Dimon. The assistant captain took a shot on net that was redirected out front by Gulash and through Stanizzi’s five hole to give the Titans a 2 – 0 lead.

Nick DeSantis was called for slashing at 6:08 into the second period to give the Generals the man advantage. Eight seconds later Tyler Cooper cut Northeast’s deficit in half. After Cooper won the ensuing draw deep inside the Titans zone, the puck to Gerard Marretta who was to the left of Cooper. Marretta sent the puck back to Joe Nagel at the point. Nagel passed it to Cooper at the top of the circle and Cooper took a shot that founds its way through a maze and past Titans goalie Patrick Pugliese for his ninth goal of the season.

The Titans would regain their two-goal lead with 9:47 left in the second. Titans defender David Parker intercepted the puck in his own zone at the half wall and he floated the biscuit up to Mitch Machlitt at center ice. Machlitt skated along the near side boards and entered the offensive zone on a two-on-one with Jeffers. As Machlitt reached the faceoff dot, he made a cross-ice pass to Jeffers who one-timed it past Stanizzi for his eighteenth goal of the season.

Cade Penney closed out the Titans scoring with 9:04 in the third period. As the two teams battled along end boards in the Titans zone, the puck came out to Matt Cameron at the top of the near side faceoff circle. Cameron immediately passed it over to DeSantis who skated through center ice and entered the offensive zone on an odd man rush with Penney. As DeSantis reached the slot, he passed it over to Penney on his left and the rookie defenseman lifted the puck up high and into the net past Stanizzi to make it a 4 – 1 game.

Pugliese stopped 29 of 30 shots while Stanizzi turned aside 26 of 30. Click here for the box score.

The two teams will close out their weekend series tonight at 7:00 PM on Star Wars Night. All fans who wear a Star Wars costume will receive $3 off a ticket and be eligible to win a $25 gift certificate to the Titans Café located inside the Middletown Sports Complex.

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Nordiques roll past Titans 7 – 2

Maine’s Cannon Green scored two goals while Isaiah Fox and Noah Kane each had a goal and an assist to lead the Nordiques to a 7 – 2 win over the visiting New Jersey Titans. It was the Titans first game in twenty days due to the holiday break and their worst defeat this season.

Kane got the Nordiques on the board first with 5:21 left in the opening period. After Timmy Kent won the draw at the Titans far side faceoff circle, the puck went back to Kane who took a snap shot that founds its way through traffic and off the far side post and past Titans goaltender Patrick Pugliese to give the Nordiques a 1 – 0 lead.

Mac Wiseman was called for holding at 5:17 into the second period to give the Nordiques the man advantage. Seven seconds later the home team doubled their lead. Kent won the ensuing draw and the puck went right back to Ignat Belov at the top of the circle. Belov sent it back to the top of the point to Fox who passed the biscuit to Casper Söderling on his right. Söderling took a shot that was tipped by Green out front and past Pugliese to make it 2 – 0.

Maine took a 3 – 0 just twenty-one seconds later after Green’s first goal of the game.  Kyler Head knocked down a Maine’s outlet pass at the half wall, but as he tried to pass it down low it was intercepted by Fox who passed it up to Kevin Pitts along the near side boards. Pitts skated down the ice and walked in all alone on Pugliese and beat the Titans netminder long side for his eleventh goal of the season.

The Nordiques’ Jack Strauss was called for holding with 6:41 remaining in the second period to give the Titans the man advantage. Mitch Machlitt brought the puck into the offensive zone, but Maine’s Ethan Prout knocked the puck off his stick, and the loose biscuit was picked up by Matt Cameron in the high slot. Cameron skated towards the net and took a shot that was saved by Maine’s goaltender Wesley Mankowski but Machlitt knocked in the rebound to put the Titans on the board and make a 3 – 1 game.

The Titans started the third period on the power play and sought to make it a one goal game. Looking to set up the play behind his own net, Ole Andersen skated through the goal mouth and was stripped off the puck by Fox who passed back to Pitts at the top of the slot. Pitts passed it back to Fox who redirected the puck through Pugliese’s five hole to give Maine a 4 – 1 lead.

Nick DeSantis cut the Titans deficit in half at 5:11 into the third. After Mankowski stopped the puck and left it to the right of his cage for Luke Anntonacci, the Nordiques defenseman look to set up the play and skated behind his own net and into the near side corner. Antonacci went to pass the puck up to Belov but he was knocked off the biscuit by Josef Glamos and the puck went back to Brad Zona at the near side point. Zona took a clapper that DeSantis tipped out front and past Mankowski to make it a 4 – 2 game.

Kyle Jeffers and Matthew Iasenza were called for slashing and tripping respectively to give the Nordiques a five-on-three-man advantage. After Kent won the draw the puck went back to Cole Ouellette at the far side point. As Quellette looked to set up, he sent a pass over to Kane on his right. After a couple of return passes, Kane sent the puck back to Quellette who took a snapshot that found its way through a screen and past Pugliese to give the Nordiques a three goal lead at 8:31 of the final period.

Green and Caden Pattison added insurance goals to close out the scoring and give the Nordiques the 7 – 2 victory.

Pugliese, who had to make several key saves to keep the Titans in the game, stopped 31 of 38 shots while Mankowski turned aside 34 of 36. Click here for the box score.

With the Titans loss and the Johnstown Tomahawks 7 – 0 win over the Jamestown Rebels, New Jersey’s lead over the Tomahawks in the East Division is down to one point, although the Titans have five games in hand.

The Titans will look to avoid their first sweep of the season as they play the Nordiques again tonight at 7:00 PM.

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Iasenza and Pugliese named honorable mention for December’s Players of the Month Awards

The North American Hockey League (NAHL) has announced its monthly player awards for the month of December today and Titans forward Matthew Iasenza and goaltender Patrick Pugliese were named honorable mention for their respective position.

Iasenza had seven points (5 goals and 2 assists) in December. He led the led the team in goals with five. In twenty-three games this season, the rookie from Quebec, CA has sixteen points (8 goals and 8 assists). Three times during December he was named honorable mention for Player of the Week.

Pugliese played in six games in December posting a 2.20 goals against average and .925 save percentage. The Pasadena, CA native has appeared in nineteen games this season and is posting a 2.61 goals against average and .918 save percentage with one shutout. This is the sixth time this season that Pugligese has been recognized by the league for weekly/monthly awards.