The Titans will leave this afternoon to play a two-game series against the second place Maine Nordiques this weekend at the Androscoggin Bank Colisee. Both games (Friday and Saturday) begin at 7:00 PM.
Nordiques and Titans Overview
This will be the last regular season series between the teams. Maine has won six out of the eight prior contests by a combined score of 27 to 19, and this is only the second time this season that the Nordiques will be hosting the Titans.
The last time the teams met was the weekend of March 19 for a three-game series with each team winning a regulation contest while the Nordiques won the second game of the series in a shootout. Two of the six Maine victories this season have been via a shootout. The Nordiques’ Tyriq Outen stopped all 33 shots he faced during the team’s last meeting back on March 21.
Stefan Owens leads the Nordiques with ten total points (five goals and five assists) against the Titans as well as goals (five). Maine is only 2 for 27 (7%) on the powerplay against New Jersey while the Nordiques goaltenders have a combined 3.12 goals against average and .932 save percentage with one shutout.
Blake Humphrey (3 goals and 2 assists), Tyler Nasca (5 assists) and Evan Werner (3 goals and 2 assists) each have five points against Maine while Humphrey and Werner lead the team with three goals apiece. The Titans are 4 for 25 (16%) on the powerplay against the Nordiques while New Jersey’s netminders have a 3.06 goals against average and .916 save percentage with no shutouts.
Nordiques Overview
As previously written, the Nordiques are currently in second place in the East Division with a 28-16-1-0 record for 57 points (ten points ahead of the Titans). They are seven points behind division leading Johnstown, but the Tomahawks have four games on hand. Maine is coming off a 7 – 1 road loss to the Tomahawks (Johnstown swept Maine last weekend by a combined score of 15 – 2), while they have won five of their last ten games. The Nordiques have scored 131 goals on the season (sixth in the league) while they have allowed 131 (fifteenth in the league). Maine is 23 for 182 (12.6%) on the powerplay (21st in the league), and they have allowed nine goals while on the man advantage. The Nordiques are 85.1% efficient on the penalty kill (seventh in the league).
Owens leads the team with 34 total points (17 goals and 17 assists) and goals (17). Aidan Connolly and Tyler Gaulin each have four game winning goals. Makem Demers has a team best +10. Isaiah Fox leads the team in penalty minutes with 89.
Maine’s Avery Sturtz and Outen have a combined 2.82 goals against average and .917 save percentage with two shutouts (Outen).
Titans Overview
The Titans are currently in third place in the East Division with a 20-16-2-5 for 47 points. They are coming off a 5 – 2 home loss to the Maryland Black Bears (last weekend the Titans were swept by the Black Bears in a home-and-home series by a combined score of 9 – 2). They have lost six in a row (second time this season), while they have won three of their last ten games. New Jersey has scored 143 goals on the season (fourth in the league) while they have allowed 141 (18th in the league). The Titans have converted on 17.1% (29 for 170) of their chances on the powerplay (13th in the league). They have allowed six goals while on the man advantage. The Red Buckets are 85.1% efficient on the penalty kill (ninth in the league). The Titans have scored the most shorthanded goals in the league with 12.
Nick Seitz leads the team with 33 total points (15 goals and 18 assists) while Werner leads the team in goals (17). Seitz also has the most game winning goals with three. Anthony Mollica has a team best +16. Brad Zona has a team high 113 penalty minutes.
The Titans have a combined 3.05 goals against average and .915 save percentage with two shutouts (Christian Stoever and Loudon Hogg).