Willey’s two goals help lead Titans to 8 – 2 rout of Nordiques

Nov 28, 2021

Captain Stephen Willey had two goals and Anthony Mollica had a “Gordie Howe Hat Trick” to help lead the Titans to an 8 – 2 rout of the visiting Maine Nordiques to complete the two-game sweep for the Red Buckets. The Titans outscored the Nordiques by a combined margin of 15 – 5 this weekend.

Willey started the rout just 2:52 into the game. Coleman Nee brought the puck up along the near side boards and into the offensive zone where he was stopped by a Nordiques defender at the half wall. As Nee was being checked, he was able to send the puck to Marcus Sang who was to the right of the Maine net. Sang skated behind the cage and passed the biscuit back to Scott Cremen at the far side half wall, and Cremen sent it back to Willey at the point. Willey took a wrist shot that found its way through a screen and past Nordiques goalie Avery Sturtz and into the net for a 1 – 0 lead.

At 6:20 into the game, the Titans went on the powerplay after Maine’s Caden Pattison was called for interference. Seventeen seconds later Willey scored his second goal of the contest. With the Titans setting up in the offensive zone, Nick Ring passed the puck from the near side half wall to David Posma at the point. Posma passed the biscuit to Willey at the far side point and the Shelton, CT native took a one-timer that beat Sturtz short side for his sixth goal of the season.

The Titans then scored three goals within the first 2:44 of the second period beginning with Posma’s fifth goal of the season at 1:28 into the middle stanza. Posma intercepted a Nordiques clearing pass at center ice along the near side boards and sent the puck up to Anthony Calafiore. As Calafiore gained the line, he made a crisp centering pass to Posma in the slot and the defenseman took a wrist shot that beat Sturtz low glove side to make it a 3 – 0 game.

Twenty-seven seconds later Calafiore made it 4 – 0. Tommy Bannister picked up the loose puck just outside the Nordiques zone. As he gained the line, he went towards his right, but a Maine defender poked the puck off his stick but the biscuit bounced right to Cremen in the slot. Cremen took a shot that was saved by Sturtz but the rebound came right out to Calafiore who jammed the puck into the net for his ninth goal of the season.

Mollica then made it 5 – 0 at 2:44 into the middle stanza. Ring picked up the loose puck at the near side half wall in the Nordiques zone and skated back towards the top of the point. Ring passed the puck over to Mollica at the far side faceoff dot and the Hudsonville, MI native took a wrist shot that went off the crossbar and into the back of the net past Sturtz for his fourth goal of the season.

Maine’s Jonny Meiers scored two consecutive goals to make it 5 – 2 but Michael Young, Ryan Coughlin (his first as a Titan) and Brandon Avezov lit the lamp to close out the scoring and make it an 8 – 2 game.

Andrew Takacs stopped 36 of 38 shots in the win while Sturtz turned aside 46 of 54. Click here for the box score.

The Titans will close out their home schedule for the 2021 calendar year next weekend when they host the Jamestown Rebels for a two-game series. It will be the Titans annual Teddy Bear Toss during the Saturday, December 4th game.