The New Jersey Titans will renew their rivalry against the Northeast Generals for the final time in the 2023-24 regular season when they host a two game set this weekend at the Middletown Sports Complex. The Generals, currently in 6th place, trail New Jersey for 5th place by 9 points, with both teams having 8 games remaining before the playoffs.
The teams last saw each other in February, an explosive series that saw both teams take home a win. The first game featured a brawl at the beginning of the second period that saw the Generals go onto the power play for the first 14 minutes of the period, scoring four times en route to a 5-2 victory. New Jersey, with a depleted lineup, was able to get the weekend split with a 3-1 win the following night, with Dominik Bartecko scoring the game winning goal.
Since then, the Generals have slumped with a 2-5 record, including a weekend sweep at the hands of the Johnstown Tomahawks on the road last weekend. They are led up front by Sixten Jennerjo, who leads the league with 59 assists and is second in points with 71. Toby Hopp and Peter Wickstrom continue to split time in the Generals’ crease, with Hopp recording 12 wins, while Wickstrom has the better individual statistics with a 2.82 goals against average and a .919 save percentage.
New Jersey will look towards Dominik Bartecko and Jack Hillier to reestablish their point streaks after seeing both broken in the Titans’ last game against Maine. Bartecko is now the franchise leader for points in a season with 64, placing him 5th overall in the league. Zak Brice and Dylan Krick continue to platoon in the New Jersey goal, though Brice has started the past five straight games, going 4-1 in that span.
The weekend series kicks off tomorrow, Friday March 15th, with a 7:30pm faceoff at the Middletown Sports Complex. The teams then conclude their regular season series with the rubber match on Saturday, March 16th, at 7:00pm. Tickets are available for purchase by following this link.