The New Jersey Titans opened their final weekend of the regular season with a 6-3 victory over the high flying Maine Nordiques at Middletown Sports Complex on Friday night.
The Titans surrendered the first goal for the second consecutive game when they conceded a power play marker 7:31 into the first period, but New Jersey immediately responded when Kristofers Krumins banged home a Cooper Eberhardt rebound 15 seconds later to tie the game. It was the 11th goal of the season for the University of Vermont commit, while Kai Elkie picked up the secondary assist.
Coming out of the first intermission still tied, New Jersey went ahead 4:42 into the second period when Ryan Novo deflected a Simon Becar shot from the point for his 7th goal of the season. Odin Ford picked up the other helper as the Titans took the lead for the first time. They would double that lead later in the period when Dominick Rivelli drilled his team leading 31st goal of the season from the slot off passes from Novo and Ryan Friedman to take a 3-1 lead into the second break.
Dominik Bartecko, entering the game with 29 goals and 48 assists, crept closer to New Jersey Titans history when his deft pass found an open Nikita Meshcheryakov for the Russian’s 29th of the year, extending the lead to three. The Nordiques got one back halfway through the frame, but Bartecko became the second Titan ever to eclipse 30 goals in a season by sniping a shot high to the glove side, assisted by Ford and Becar. Maine managed a power play goal a minute and a half later to draw within two, but Jack Hillier’s empty netter, assisted by Bartecko and Meshcheryakov put the game away, and New Jersey ended the penultimate game of the season with a 6-3 win.
With a goal and two assists, Dominik Bartecko moves into 3rd overall in the league with 80 points. He becomes the first East Division player with 30 goals and 50 assists since Carson Briere’s 2018-19 season in Johnstown. Zak Brice stopped 41 of 44 shots to record his 22nd win of the season, as the Titans’ record improves to 34-22-3.
New Jersey will wrap up their regular season schedule when they host the Nordiques again tomorrow, Saturday April 6th, at 7:00pm. Tickets can be purchased by following this link.