Kyle Jeffers had two goals and three assists and Michael Outzen had three assists to help the visiting New Jersey Titans defeat the Northeast Generals 7 – 5 last night at the New England Sports Village in a good old fashion slugfest which featured five lead changes. The victory also ended the Titans four game losing skid.
The Generals opened the scoring just 1:45 into the first period. After former General Joe Nagle dumped the puck into the offensive zone, Northeast’s goalie Joey Stanizzi stopped the puck behind his own goal to set up the play. He backhanded the puck around the end boards where is was picked up by Ricky Boysen at the near side half wall. Boysen sent a long cross-ice pass to Kyle Schroeder who entered the New Jersey zone along the far side boards. As Schroeder cut across the goal mouth, he went from his forehand to his backhand and lifted the puck up high and past Titans goaltender Ryan McInchak to give Northeast an early 1 – 0 lead.
Jack LaRusso tied the game at 8:21 of the first. Outzen won a scrum behind his own net and to the right of McInchak. The Highlands Ranch, CO native passed the puck out front to Brody Medeiros who skated up to the blue line and sent a long bounce pass off the near side boards and into the Northeast zone where it was picked up by LaRusso at the faceoff dot. LaRusso cut across the goal mouth and slid the puck past Stanizzi’s left pad for his sixth goal of the season.
Three minutes later Nick DeSantis gave the Titans a 2 – 1 lead. Jeffers picked up the loose puck at center ice and brought it into the offensive zone along the far side boards. As Jeffers reached the faceoff dot, he sent a cross-ice pass to DeSantis in the slot and the Collegeville, PA native took a shot that beat Stanizzi through his five hole for his sixth goal of the year.
With a minute and half remaining in the first, Nagle was called for high sticking to give his former teammates the man advantage. Forty-five seconds later Tyler Cooper tied the game at two. Cooper took a shot from the top of the far side faceoff circle that was saved by McInchak but the deep rebound came out to Michael Heneghan at the top of the high slot. Heneghan passed it back over to Cooper on his left. Cooper took a one-timer from the faceoff dot that beat McInchak high glove side.
Medeiros gave the Titans a 3 – 2 lead just fifty-three seconds into the middle stanza. After receiving a pass from Outzen, Gavin Gulash took a wrist shot from the bottom of the far side faceoff circle that was saved by Stanizzi but the deep rebound came off the near side boards to Medeiros at the top of the faceoff circle. Medeiros took a clapper that found its way through a screen and past Stanizzi fo his sixth goal of the year.
Northeast’s Gerard Marretta tied the game at 3:03 of the second. Marretta skated to the slot after he picked up the loose puck along the far side boards and sent it back to the point to Dylan Schuett. Schuett took a shot that was deflected by Marretta in front that trickled past McInchak and rolled into the net.
The Generals went up 4 – 3 at 7:03 of the middle period. Alexander Tertyshny picked up the loose puck in the neutral zone along the far side boards and dumped it back into the Titans zone where it was picked up by Boysen. As Boysen reached the top of the faceoff circle he drop passed the puck to Clark Kerner and Kerner took a snapshot that beat McInchak high blocker side.
Jeffers tied the game at four with 2:25 remaining in the period. With Josef Glamos and Shane Haviland part of a scrum behind the Generals net, Haviland picked up the loose puck and made a nice backhand pass out front to Jeffers who spinned around and took a shot that beat Stanizzi blocker side for his first goal of the contest.
With 1:35 left in the period, Notheast’s Ryan Kuzmich was called for roughing to give the Titans the man advantage. Jeffers dump and chased the puck into the Generals zone and sent the biscuit behind the end boards where it was intercepted by Boysen at the far side half wall. Boysen sent a bounce pass of the boards to himself and he brought the puck up along the boards. As Boysen reached the slot he made a small stutter move and lifted the puck up high and past McInchak to give the Generals a 5 – 4 lead with a minute remaining in the second period.
The Titans then took control of the game by scoring three goals in the final period.
With 7:54 remaining in the third, Matt Cameron tied the game at five. Jeffers intercepted a Generals clearing pass off the boards at the far side blue line and took a shot down low that was purposely stopped by Cameron out in front of Stanizzi. Cameron made a quick move to his left then brought the puck back and lifted it past Stanizzi for his eighteenth goal of the season.
Tertyshny was called for tripping with 4:05 left in the game to give the Titans the man advantage. As time was running out on the power play, Jeffers set up the play at the top of the near side faceoff circle and send a cross-ice pass over to Outzen. Outzen sent it back to Cade Penney at the top of the slot and Penney took a wrister that beat Stanizzi high blocker side to give the Titans a 6 – 5 lead.
With time winding down in the game, Northeast pulled Stanizzi for the extra attacker, but Jeffers scored his second goal of the game, an empty netter, to close out the scoring. It was Jeffers twenty-third goal of the year which ties him with Mitch Machlitt for most goals on the team.
McInchak stopped 34 of 39 shots while Stanizzi turned aside 30 of 36. Click here for the box score.
The two teams will close out the weekend and regular season series between themselves tonight at 7:00 PM.