The New Jersey Titans wrapped up their regular season schedule with three wins last week, defeating the Philadelphia Rebels and Maine Nordiques on home ice to head into the playoffs with a four game winning streak.
Hosting the Philadelphia Rebels for the second Tuesday in a row, the Titans got on the board in the first period when Dominick Rivelli broke Michael Young’s record of 29 goals in a season when he rifled a Kyle Kim pass home for his 30th of the season. Odin Ford then scored his first as a Titan and second of the season five minutes into the second period, followed by Ethan Wongus’s 16th of the year only 38 seconds later in his 100th NAHL game, all with New Jersey. Philadelphia would find the back of the net to cut the lead to 3-1, but Dominik Bartecko, already leading the team in points, kept pace with the captain with his 29th of the year towards the end of the period to restore the three goal lead. Jack Hillier added an insurance marker 2:49 into the third, and the Titans skated away with a 5-1 victory. With the win, the Titans reversed the season series from last year, going 6-1-1 against their in-state rival.
Friday night saw the dangerous Maine Nordiques, who lead the league in scoring, get the opening marker with a power play goal 7:31 into the game. Just 15 seconds later, Kristofers Krumins banged home a Cooper Eberhardt rebound on a two on one to tie the game. Ryan Novo and Dominick Rivelli both scored in the second period to extend the lead, and Nikita Meshcheryakov made it 4-1 with his 22nd of the year three and a half minutes into the third. The Nordiques finally answered to stop the run of scoring, but Bartecko and Hillier added goals late en route to a 6-3 win. With a goal and two assists, Dominik Bartecko became the first ever Titan to record 30 goals and 50 assists in a season, a feat not seen in the East Division since 2019.
In the regular season finale, Bartecko and Hillier noth scored in the first period to give New Jersey a 2-0 lead. Bartecko’s goal tied him with Rivelli for the team lead with 31 each. Arhip Sidarovich and Bartecko again both scored on the power play in the second period to double the lead, and give Bartecko sole possession of New Jersey’s franchise records for most goals, assists, and points in a season. The Nordiques would mount a comeback, but ultimately fall to the Titans by a score of 4-3.
Finishing the regular season with a record of 35-22-3, the Titans will enter the playoffs as the #5 seed. They will head to Western Pennsylvania to face the Johnstown Tomahawks in a Best of 3 series to move on and face either the Maryland Black Bears or the Maine Nordiques. Games in Johnstown are scheduled for 7:30pm on Friday, 7:00pm on Saturday, and 4:00pm on Sunday, if necessary. All games will be available on NAtv, and fans should select the “Away” feed for all Titans coverage.