Fresh off a come from behind shootout victory over the Philadelphia Rebels on Tuesday, the New Jersey Titans will conclude the away portion of their schedule with a weekend trip to Lewiston, Maine, to face off against the Maine Nordiques. Maine swept the last weekend the Titans visited by score of 6-2 and 5-2, and New Jersey trails in the season series with 1 win and 3 losses.
The Nordiques have burst onto the scene as an offensive juggernaut in Head Coach Nick Skerlick’s first season behind the Maine bench. Their 195 goals scored in 49 games leads the entire league, and with New Jersey’s win over Philadelphia on Tuesday, the Nordiques became the second East Division team to clinch a playoff birth. With a record of 32-12-5, they trail Maryland by 2 points for the top seed in the East.
Offensively, the Nordiques are led by Charles Tardif with 23 goals and 52 points. Defenseman Davis Helledy leads the team with 35 assists, and his 44 points ranks second among Maine’s skaters. Tardif and Helledy are tied with 15 power play points apiece. In goal, Carter Richardson and Thomas Heaney have split duties, while Richardson’s .931 save percentage is the best mark within the East Division and third best in the league.
For the Titans, Dominick Bartecko is sixth in the league with 61 points. Riding a 9 game point streak, the Mercyhurst commit has put up 17 points in that span, including 4 goals and 5 assists on New Jersey’s current 3 game winning streak. He stands on the precipice of franchise history, needing only one point to tie Mitch Machlitt’s franchise record of 62 points in a season. In net, Zak Brice has recorded three consecutive victories and was named the second star of the game Tuesday night.
The two game set gets underway tomorrow, Friday March 8th, with a 7:30pm faceoff at the Colisee in Lewiston, ME. Then, the teams will wrap up the series with a 7:00pm faceoff on Saturday, March 9th.