Trailing 3 – 0, the visiting New Jersey Titans tallied three unanswered goals to force overtime and then Jake LaRusso and Michael Young scored in a shootout to give the Red Buckets a 4 – 3 win over the Jamestown Rebels to sweep the weekend series between the teams.
The Rebels opened the scoring just one minute into the game. Jamestown’s Nolan Kahl picked up the loose puck behind the Titans net and sent a pass back to defenseman Chase McClellan at the near side point. McClellan took a low line shot that was redirected by Kevin Marx Noren at the top of the slot and past New Jersey netminder Ben Charette to give the Rebels a 1 – 0 lead.
At 7:06 into the first period, the Titans Sylas Oberting was called for boarding to put Jamestown on the powerplay. As the man advantage was about to expire, the Rebels’ Noah Szretter doubled his team’s lead. After Jamestown’s Jak Vaarwerk won the draw deep inside the Titans zone, the puck went back to Szretter at the near side point. Szretter took a wrist shot that went high over the net and hit the end wall glass. The puck immediately bounced back towards the Titans net that Charette tried to catch but it handcuffed the young goalie and went off his blocker and into the net to make it a 2 – 0.
Jamestown started the middle stanza on the powerplay after Jack Karlsson was called for checking from behind with twenty-five second remaining in the first period. At 1:27 into the second period, Vaarwerk made it 3 – 0. Marx Noren picked up the loose puck at the near side blueline inside the Titans zone and made a cross-ice pass to Szretter just inside the faceoff circle. Szretter made a centering pass out front to Vaarwerk who carried the puck towards the right of Charette and around the net and tucked it into the open cage to give the Rebels a 3 – 0 lead.
Charette was immediately replaced by Andrew Takacs between the pipes.
Jamestown’s Chase McClellan was called holding at 4:12 into the second period to give the Titans the man advantage. Fourteen seconds later Brendan Dumas got the Titans on the board. As Brandon Avezov set up the play at the far side half wall inside the offensive zone, he played catch and release with Levente Keresztes who was to the left of the Rebels net. After receiving a final return pass from Avezov, Keresztes made a centering pass to Dumas who took a shot that beat Jamestown’s netminder Nolan Suggs high, blocker side for his second goal of the season.
The Titans started the third period shorthanded after the Red Buckets were called for too many men on the ice with 1:30 remaining in the middle stanza. As the Rebels powerplay was ready to expire, Tommy Bannister scored his third goal of the weekend to cut Jamestown’s lead in half. The Rebels’ Owen West had the puck at the top of the blueline and took a wrist shot that was blocked by Anthony Mollica in the slot. As the puck bounced off Mollica, it went back to West who tried to control it, but the biscuit was picked up by Bannister who skated through center ice and into the offensive zone all alone and beat Suggs to make it a 3 – 2 game.
Avezov tied the game with 8:29 remaining in the third period. Eric Charpentier picked up the loose puck at the top of the far side faceoff circle and made a centering pass out front to Anthony Calafiore who redirected the puck on net. Suggs made the initial save off Calafiore, but the rebound came right out to Avezov who tucked the biscuit into the open net to make it a 3 – 3 game. It was Calafiore’s fourth point of the two-game series.
After a scoreless overtime, the game went to a shootout. LaRusso went first and scored. Takacs stopped John Lundy. Then Young scored. Takacs then stopped Emerick Nadeau to preserve the win and the comeback.
Charette and Takacs combined to stop 34 of 37 shots while Suggs turned aside 33 of 36. Click here for the box score.
The Titans will play their home opener on Friday at 7:30 PM against the Maryland Black Bears.