Dylan Krick’s 28 saves would not be enough as the New Jersey Titans saw their 3 game winning streak snapped Friday night at the Hollydell Ice Arena in Sewell, NJ, against the Philadelphia Rebels in the front half of a post Thanksgiving home and home series.
The Titans began the night in 6th place in the East Division, while the Rebels began 8 points behind New Jersey for the final playoff seed. Last season, despite missing the playoffs, the Rebels were the only team in the division to hold a winning record over the Titans. New Jersey outshot Philadelphia 15-9 in the first period, but neither team was able to find the back of the net, and the game remained scoreless after 20 minutes of play.
The Rebels started the second period on the power play, and at one point were outshooting New Jersey by an 8-0 margin. They took their first lead of the game with a power play goal at the 7:32 mark of the second period. However, the Titans would not trail for long, with Jack Hillier tying the game 41 seconds later, finishing a two on one rush with Ryan Novo. It was the 3rd goal of the season for the Sacred Heart commit, and sent the teams into the second intermission tied at 2.
The third period resembled the third period, in that the Titans outshot Philadelphia by six shots and neither team would score, forcing the extra frame. Both New Jersey and Philadelphia stressed puck possession, and a turnover inside the Rebels’ blue line sprung Philadelphia on a 3 on 1. Krick was able to make the initial save, but in the scramble around the net, the puck glanced off Krick’s skate and trickled across the line to give the Rebels a 2-1 victory.
With the overtime loss and a Rochester win, the Titans again find themselves outside of the playoff picture. They’ll have an opportunity for revenge tomorrow night, with the Rebels visiting the Middletown Sports Complex for the first time since the preseason matchup between the teams in August. Faceoff will be at 7:00 for the Saturday evening affair.