The New Jersey Titans lost Game 2 in overtime to the Maryland Black Bears by a score of 3-2 on Saturday night at the Piney Orchard Ice Arena in Odenton, Maryland.
The Titans fell behind once again in the first period, surrendering a power play goal at 11:31. The Black Bears then doubled their lead with another goal in the final minute of the frame, sending the Titans into the first intermission trailing 2-0.
A scoreless second period led to a pivotal third, with New Jersey looking to avoid heading home down in the series. Ryan Novo finally got the Titans on the board 4:33 into the period, deflecting a Dominick Rivelli shot on the power play. Ryan Friedman had the other assist on the West Point commit’s 4th of the playoffs. Under two minutes later, the Titans were awarded a penalty shot after a Maryland forward covered the puck in the crease. Jack Hillier was selected to take the shot, and the Sacred Heart commit snapped a shot blocker side to tie the game. It was Hillier’s first of the postseason.
Sixty minutes would not be enough to determine a winner, and New Jersey went to overtime for the second time in four playoff games. They would not find the victory, however, as the Black Bears took advantage of a missed icing call and scored the game winning goal 1:01 into the extra frame to take a 2-0 lead in the Best of 5 series.
The loss pushes New Jersey to the brink of elimination, but the Titans will have a chance to salvage their season in Game 3 of the series on home ice. Faceoff is scheduled for 7:30pm on Friday, April 26th, at the Middletown Sports Complex. Tickets to Game 3 and Game 4, if necessary, are on sale at NJTitansNAHL.com, or by following this link.