The New Jersey Titans hosted the Long Beach Sharks for the first time this season after a two week layoff on Friday night.
Unfortunately for the Titans, the lack of games reared its head early, as the Sharks scored four goals in a span of 8:42 to jump out to a commanding lead. Jesse Riccio would replace Sebastian Thome after the fourth goal, and New Jersey’s offense awoke in the second period, with a power play goal from Payton Fobes and a shorthanded tally from Will Fliss. George Hinds and Maxim Mavrin assisted on Fobes’s team leading 13th of the season, while Colin Smargon picked up the helper on Fliss’s 7th.
However, New Jersey’s offense would not be able to muster anything else, and a pair of goals by Long Beach in the final five minutes gave them a 6-2 victory. With the loss, New Jersey has now dropped five of their last six games. They remain in 3rd place, 10 points clear of 4th place New Hampshire. The road ahead does not get any easier, with a pair of games against the first place Northeast Generals. Games are scheduled on Friday, December 8th, at 7:30pm, and Saturday, December 9th, at 5:00pm. Both games can be seen live on NAHLtv.