Philadelphia’s Kristians Samitis scored the game winner in an eight-round shootout to give the visiting Rebels a 3 – 2 win and complete the weekend home and home sweep between the two teams.
Despite this weekend’s losses, the Titans remain in second place in the East Division nine points out of first with a game in hand on the division leading Maryland Black Bears.
Robert Hyde opened the scoring midway through the first period to give the Titans a 1 – 0 lead. At 8:13 of the first, the Rebels’ Klaus Jogi was called for hooking to give the Titans the man advantage. As the powerplay was ending, Hyde converted on the opportunity. With play at the top of the slot, Ben Yurchuk sent a cross-ice pass to Dominik Bartecko at the near side faceoff circle. Bartecko made a cross-ice pass to Hyde at the far side faceoff dot and the North Babylon, NY took a wrist shot that beat Rebels goalie Jakub Krbecek short side for Hyde’s third goal of the weekend and tenth of the season.
With 7:39 remaining in the first, the Rebels’ Tyler Stern knotted the score at one. As Joe Harney brought the puck from behind his own red line, he went to head man the puck to Michael Young at the top of the slot but the biscuit went off Young’s sick and right to Stern. Stern immediately tap passed it to Matt Lewis on his right. The pair went towards the net on a two on none. As Lewis reached the inside hash mark, Lewis sent a return pass to Stern who took a shot that Titans netminder Zak Brice got a piece of but the puck trickled by him and into the net for Stern’s seventh goal of the season.
The Titans regained the lead with 9:27 remaining in the second period on Young’s sixteenth goal of the season. Playing four-on-four hockey, Leo Schwartz brought the puck into the offensive zone. As he reached the far side half wall, he took a shot that was saved by Krbecek but the rebound came right out to Anthony Calafiore who took a wrist shot that Krbecek saved with his left leg pad but the rebound came right out to Young on the doorstep, and Young deposited into the empty net.
A minute later Philadelphia’s Connor Sedlak tied the game at two. Still playing four-on-four hockey, Harney had the puck at center ice and went to pass it up to Brady Hildreth but the biscuit was knocked down by the Rebels’ Jacob Margarit at the top of his own blueline and Margarit passed it up to Sedlak in the neutral zone. Sedlak cut towards the near side boards and entered the offensive zone all alone and took a wrist shot that beat Brice glove side for Sedlak’s fourteenth goal of the season.
After regulation and overtime ended tied at two, it went to a shootout. Brendan Dumas give the Titans the lead but Sedlak came right back to even the score. After Samitis scored to give the Rebels the lead, Krbecek stopped Hildreth to preserve the win.
Brice, who play exceptionally well throughout the game, stopped 26 of 28 shots while Krbecek turned aside 30 of 32. Click here for the complete box score.
The Titans will continue their four game homestand next weekend when they face the Danbury Jr. Hat Tricks for a pair of games at the Middletown Sports Complex.