Jack Karlsson scored the game’s lone goal to give the Titans a 1 – 0 win over the visiting Jamestown Rebels to complete the weekend sweep between the teams. Goaltender Andrew Takacs stopped all 26 shots he faced for his third shutout on the season.
After a scoreless first period, play became very physical in the second. With 6:12 left in the middle stanza, the Rebels’ Noah Szretter and Titans Rocco Testa-Basi received game misconducts for fighting enabling four-on-four hockey. Forty-eight seconds after play resumed at the end of the melee, Karlsson scored the game winner.
Tyler Sanborn set up the play at his own far side faceoff dot and made a cross-ice pass to Brendan Dumas at the near side blueline. Dumas made a backhanded bounce pass off the wall up to a breaking Nick Ring up the boards. As Ring gained the line, he went to the net and started to cut across the goalmouth. As he reached the top of the crease, Ring took a shot that was saved by Rebels goalie Noah Suggs but the rebound came right out to a trailing Karlsson in the slot and the Koping, SWE native slammed it past Suggs and into the net for Karlsson’s third goal of the season.
Takacs played extremely well throughout the weekend. In both games against the Rebels, he posted a .982 save percentage and 0.50 goals against average with the one shutout. Takacs’ third shutout is the most in a season that he has recorded in his junior career.
Takacs appeared in all eight games against Jamestown this season posting a 6 – 2 record with a .921 save percentage and 2.08 goals against average and the one shutout. The Bowie, MD native leads the league in wins with 26, and he is seventh in the league with 2.35 goals against average and fourth with .922 save percentage.
Suggs stopped 37 of 38 shots in defeat. Click here for the complete box score.
With the weekend sweep, the Titans have extended their lead in the East Division to eight points with a game in-hand over second place Maryland – whom the Titans play their next home game series on March 18 and 19.
The win gives the Red Buckets their 33rd of the season, which is five short of the franchise record set during the 2019-20 shorten COVID season. The Titans recorded thirty-four wins during the team’s 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons. They have won eight of their last ten games and have 13 remaining in the season, eight of which will be played at the Middletown Sports Complex.
On Thursday, the Titans will leave for Maine to begin a weekend series against the Nordiques starting on Friday. It will be the last time the teams will face each other this season.