Titans blanked in 4-0 loss to Rebels

Dec 5, 2018

The New Jersey Titans fell to the Jamestown Rebels by a score of 4-0 at Middletown Sports Complex on Sunday afternoon, resulting in a two-game split over the weekend.

Alex Frye had a goal and an assist while Ryan Keane pitched a 31-save shutout in the Rebels’ first win over the Titans this season. Matt Ladd made 30 saves on 34 shots in the losing effort, as the Titans are now one point behind the Rebels for second place in the East Division.

The game on Sunday afternoon was a quick turnaround after the overtime win on Saturday night. Both teams were noticeably slower on Sunday compared to the high-paced and up-tempo contest from the night before. Titans defenseman Eric Manoukian spoke about the difference in energy between Saturday and Sunday.

“It was a quick turnaround, but I think it was more of a preparation issue. I think mentally, we need to prepare better if we have a shorter break between games,” Manoukian said.

Lewis Crosby opened the scoring for the Rebels at 4:07 of the first period when a shot off the end boards bounced up to the side of the goal. He slammed home his fifth goal of the season to give Jamestown a 1-0 lead.

In the final minute of the period, Alex Frye forced a turnover at the Rebels’ blue line while his team was shorthanded. On the ensuing breakaway, he ripped a shot blocker side and gave the Rebels a 2-0 lead.

Jamestown showed no signs of slowing down when Colin Schmidt scored a power-play goal 36 seconds into the middle period. He picked up the rebound on a shot from Frye, and wrapped it around the far post to beat Ladd.

The Titans had a chance to come back in the game when Auggie Moore received a five-minute major and a game misconduct for a knee-on-knee hit to Josef Glamos. About a minute into the man-advantage, Connor Merrill punched in a rebound from the low slot, but the goal was disallowed because of a crease violation.

Jake Felker capped off the scoring 1:36 into the third period when he received a drop pass and scored on a wrister from left faceoff circle. It was his seventh goal of the season and gave the Rebels a 3-0 lead. Keane remained perfect with 31 saves as the Rebels managed to split the back-to-back.

After the game, Manoukian talked about the Titans’ power play, which went 0-for-8 in the loss, including the extended man advantage from Frye’s major penalty.

“To be honest, I think we just need to start getting more pucks on net, get bodies in front and trying to get the rebounds. Most of our success on the power play comes when we simplify our game, take shots on goal, crash the net and bury a dirty goal,” he said.

The Titans return to action this weekend when they face the Maryland Black Bears for a two-game set at Middletown Sports Complex. Saturday night’s contest will start at 7:30 while Sunday’s game starts at 3:30 p.m.