The New Jersey Titans scored three, third period goals to down the Northeast Generals 5 – 3 in game two of this three game series. Phillippe Doucette had three points (1 goal and 2 assists) to lead the New Jersey offense.
The Generals got on the board first with 6:39 remaining in the opening period. Northeast’s Deacon More picked up the loose puck at the top of his own slot and skated towards the neutral zone. As he reached the center ice faceoff circle, he backhanded a pass to a breaking Ben Pizzimenti on his left. Pizzimenti took a shot that went wide of the Titans net but a quick rebound off the end boards came out to More to the left to New Jersey goalie Grant Goodson and More took a shot that beat Goodson low, short side to make it a 1 – 0 game.
Twenty-one seconds later the Titans Nick Byron tied it at one. After the ensuing faceoff, the puck went behind the New Jersey net where it was picked up by Noah Szretter. Szretter shuttled passed the puck up to Tanner Smith who found a breaking Brett Bell in the neutral zone. As Bell entered the offensive zone along the near side boards, he made a beautiful centering pass to Byron on his left and the West Springfield, MA native redirected the puck past Northeast goalie Kyle McGuire for his second goal of the season.
The Titans Randall Greene was called for slashing at 9:09 left in the second. Twenty seconds later Northeast regained the lead. The Generals Nick Wracker picked up the loose puck behind the Titans net and sent it back to More at the far side point. More sent it over to Jacob Kaminski on his right. Kaminski sent a pass down low to his brother Tyler who redirected the puck past Goodson to make it a 2 – 1 game.
Bell tied that game at two with 3:21 left in the middle stanza. Doucette picked up the loose puck at the far side half wall in his own zone and he pushed it up to Nate Boak. Boak passed up and over to Bell on his left and the two entered the offensive zone on a 2-on-0. As Bell gained the line, he passed it over to Boak on his right. The two would send a couple of return passes and then Bell redirected Boak’s final return pass past McGuire for his fourth goal of the season.
The Generals would take a 3 – 2 lead just 2:53 into the third period. After a Titans turnover in their own zone, the puck was picked up by More at the far side point. More passed it down to Nolan Merulli at the top of the faceoff circle. Merulli sent a cross-ice pass to a breaking Austin Crisp who took a sharp angle pass out front to Jacob Kosinski who redirected the puck past Goodson for his third goal of the season.
The Titans would then score three consecutive goals.
Thirty-three seconds after the Generals took the lead, Brandon Avezov tied it for the Titans. Doucette picked up the loose puck behind his own net and made a bounce pass off boards to George Haigley just outside the blueline. As Haigley skated down the far side boards he entered the Generals zone on a 2-on-1 with Avezov. Haigley made a cross-ice pass to Avezov on his right and Avezov slid it through McGuire’s five hole for his team high seventh goal of the season.
Doucette gave the Titans their first lead of the game at 7:47 into the third. With the puck in the Generals zone at the half wall, Haigley picked up the loose puck and centered it out front to Doucette. Doucette took a shot that was saved by McGurie but Doucette tapped in the rebound for his second goal of the season.
With 9:52 left in regulation, Eyan Gonzalvez-Helm closed out the scoring for the Titans. Smith intercepted a Generals pass at the top of the slot in the Northeast zone. He passed it immediately to Helm who went to the net and went from his forehand to his backhand and lifted up into the top part of the net past McGuire for his first goal of the year.
Goodson, who was starting in his first game of the year, stopped 24 of 27 shots while McGuire turned aside 23 of 28. Click here for the box score.
The two teams will finish their three game series tomorrow at 1:00 pm at the Middletown Sports Complex.