The New Jersey Titans scored four goals in the third period and defeated the Northeast Generals in the teams’ first meeting of the season on Friday night. Logan Renkowski and Nikita Meshcheryakov scored in their NAHL debuts, and Zak Brice stopped 21 of 22 shots on goal as the Titans ended a three game skid.
Coming off a 1-3-0 record at the NAHL Showcase, the Titans made adjustments to their roster over the past week. Joining the team for the first time were Logan Renkowski, Kyle Kim, Jake Geraci, and Nikita Meshcheryakov. Matej Teply also rejoined the team from last year. Meshcheryakov would make his presence felt first, assisting on Arhip Sidarovich’s second goal of the season to open the scoring just over five minutes into the game. Dom Bartecko added the other assist, but the lead would not last long. A Generals goal 28 seconds later would tie the game, but that proved to be the only offense Northeast could muster. Logan Renkowski connected for his first goal as a Titan towards the end of the period, a goal that would stand as the game winner.
With New Jersey holding a 2-1 lead, the game took a physical tone in the second period. Cooper Eberhardt dropped the gloves for the first time in the regular season, but neither team was able to find the back of the net.
The game remained close until the halfway point of the third period, when Bartecko and Meshcheryakov scored less than a minute apart to give the Titans some breathing room. Leo Schwartz got the lone assist on Bartecko’s 3rd of the season, while Eberhardt and Kai Elkie got the helpers on Meshcheryakov’s first in the league. Reece Brednich, now in his third NAHL season, added an insurance tally at 13:44, assisted by Sidarovich and Schwartz, and defenseman Christian Wood put an exclamation mark on the game with a breakaway goal, his second of the season, with just over two minutes to go.
With the victory, the Titans move into a tie for 4th in the division with the Johnstown Tomahawks. New Jersey won’t have much time to celebrate, as the teams will meet again on Saturday, with a 7:00 PM faceoff scheduled at the New England Sports Village in Attleboro, MA. The game can be watched live on the NAHLtv streaming service.
The New Jersey Titans, proud members of the North American Hockey League, are entering their ninth season at the Middletown Sports Complex in Middletown, NJ. The 2022 Robertson Cup National Champions, the Titans have made the playoffs in every season since their founding in 2015. Single game tickets are now on sale for the 2023-24 season home opener versus Rochester on September 29th. CLICK HERE to purchase tickets and skip the line at the Middletown Sports Complex. Follow the New Jersey Titans on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok today!