Brendan Dumas scored with 1:34 remaining in overtime to give the visiting Titans a 4 – 3 win over the Maine Nordiques. The Titans overcame a two-goal, third period deficit but Anthony Calafiore scored two goals in less than a minute to tie the game and ultimately send it into the extra period.
It was the Titans third straight win and ninth out of their last ten games.
Michael Young opened the scoring for the Titans with 8:10 remining in the first period. Tommy Bannister picked up the loose puck in the Nordiques zone at the far side half wall and made a cross-ice pass to David Posma at the top of the slot. Posma started to pinch towards the net and made a beautiful backdoor pass to Young who was to the left of Maine’s netminder Avery Sturtz and Young easily redirected the puck into the open net for Young’s seventeenth goal of the season.
The Nordiques then scored three unanswered goals to take control of the game, and it started with 3:31 into the second period. Playing four-on-four hockey in the Titans zone, Maine’s Matthew Connor picked up the loose puck at the far side point. Connor took a shot that was blocked by Owen Luik out front but the puck came immediately out to the Nordiques’ Zion Green at the faceoff dot. Green made a move around Luik and took a wrist shot the beat Ben Charette to tie the game at one.
Maine went up 2 – 1 with 9:06 remaining in the middle stanza. After the Nordiques dumped the puck into the Titans far side corner, it was picked up by Posma who went to set up the play by skating in front of his own net. As Posma reached the goal mouth, he was knocked off the puck by a pressuring Green and the biscuit went right to Aidan Connolly who was trailing on the play, and Connolly took a wrist shot that beat Charette long side for his fourteenth goal of the season.
The Nordiques doubled their lead with 6:08 remaining in the third period. With play just inside the Nordiques zone, Posma went to set up the play by making a cross-ice pass to Nick Ring at the top of the slot but it was intercepted by Tyler Gaulin who head manned the puck to a breaking Ignat Belov. Belov beat the Titans defenders and walked in all alone on Charette. As Belov deked towards Charette’s left, Belov slid the puck through Charette’s pads and into the net for Belov’s thirteenth goal of year.
Less than a minute after Maine took a 3 – 1 lead, the Nordiques’ Jacob Pellerin was called for hooking to give the Titans the man advantage. Nine seconds later Calafiore cut the Red Buckets deficit in half.
After Calafiore won the draw deep inside the Nordiques zone, the puck went back to Dumas at the end of the far side faceoff circle and he passed it back to Jack Karlsson at the point. Karlsson sent a return pass to Dumas who passed it down low to Tommy Bannister who was to the left of Sturtz. Bannister made a centering pass out front to Calafiore and the University of Maine commit took a one-timer that beat Sturtz to make it a 3 – 2 game.
Forty-five seconds later Calafiore knotted the score at three.
After Calafiore picked up the loose puck at the top of his own zone, he dipsy doodled his way through center ice and towards the offensive zone. As Calafiore gained the line, he passed it to Bannister on his left. As Bannister, reached the top of the faceoff circle, he dropped it back to Anthony Mollica. As Mollica started to skate towards the far side half wall, he took a wrist shot that Calafiore deflected out front and past Sturtz for Calafiore’s team high 21st goal of the season.
After regulation ended tied, the game went into the extra period for four-on-four hockey. After Charette made a nice blocker save on Maine’s Tristan Fasig, Dumas picked up the loose puck by Charette’s right and skated behind his own net and up the ice. As Dumas reached his blueline he dropped it for Ring on his right, and Ring skated up the near side boards and into the Nordiques zone. As Ring gained the line, the cut across the slot and took a shot that was blocked out front but the rebound came right out to Dumas who buried it past Sturtz to win the game with 1:34 left in overtime.
Dumas’ goal was the Titans only shot in the extra period.
Charette picked up his seventh win of the season by stopping 32 of 35 shots while Sturtz turned aside 37 of 41. Click here for the box score.
The two teams will meet again to close out the weekend series at 7:00PM. It will be the last time this season they will face each other.