October 15, 2022 (Attleboro, Mass.) – The Generals NAHL team welcomed the New Jersey Titans to the village for a two game weekend series with both teams looking to continue their strong play.
The Titans picked up the sweep bringing their record to 6-8-0 while the Generals fall to 8-6-1 in the second month of the season.
Friday night at 7 p.m. the Gens and Titans faced off for the first time this season with the Gens riding a 7 game win streak.
The scoring opened 11:03 into the contest when Jersey took a 1-0 lead on the back of a goal from defenseman Leo Schwartz. While 4-on-4 the Titans won a faceoff in the Generals zone. Brendan Dumas controlled the puck at the bottom of the far circle and fed Schwartz in front who dropped down from his position on the point.
A few moments later at 12:26 the Titans doubled up while on a 4-on-3 powerplay. Schwartz held position at the top of the far circle and walked down towards the bottom. Looking for Robert Hyde in the slot Schwartz threw the puck into the sea of bodies one of which it bounced off of and into the back of the net.
The Generals brought the game back to within one less than a minute later at 13:22 after Titans netminder Jacob Torgner gave the puck away in his own zone. Torgner left his crease to the puck behind the net and played it up the far side wall. Ryan Schelling was waiting there and one timed the puck into the bottom portion of the net for his second goal of the season.
The Titans responded immediately to carry a 2 goal lead into the locker room. The Generals struggled to make their way out of the defensive zone and a bad turnover at the blue line allowed Anthony Califiore an open look at the net with no one around him. Califiore tucked it around the near side of Cullen DeYoung in the Generals net.
After a scoreless second period The Titans added another goal late in the third period at 13:40. Fresh off killing a 4 minute penalty Brendan Dumas carried the puck into the near side of the offensive zone and sent an area pass to Owen Wilson who was cutting towards the net. Wilson caught the puck and used his backhand to flip the puck over DeYoung making it 4-1.
Looking to mount a comeback the Generals built momentum in the late stages and scored a goal at 18:06. A battle for possession in the near side corner of the Titans zone saw Schelling come away with the puck. The Providence commit hit Andrew DellaDonna with a pass in the near circle who then chipped the puck into the top corner for his third goal of the season.
In the end the Titans won 4-2 stopping the Gens 7 game win streak.
24 hours later on Saturday night the two teams went back at it this time with the Generals jumping out to the first period lead. Only 1:31 into the game Schelling found the back of the net for his second goal of the weekend. Dave Andreychuk brought the puck into the offensive zone over the middle of the ice. Andreychuk gave it to Paul Minnehan on the far side who fired a pass to the near side for Schelling to find the back of the net.
The Gens doubled up before the end of the first period at 9:09 when Joe Schubert shot the puck from just outside the far side corner in the Titans zone. The puck went between Torgner’s legs and off the pad and in for Schubert’s third goal of the season and the Gens 2-0 lead.
Both teams scored once in the second period. The Titans struck first at 9:32 after a bad break out pass from the Gens gave Owen Luik possession at the blueline on the near side of the zone. Luik carried the puck towards the net before feeding Ryan Novo a perfect pass for a one-time blast into the back of the net.
The Generals struck back less than a minute later at 10:18 when former Titan Jake LaRusso fired a shot over the glove of Torgner and into the back of the net while on a quick rush for his 6th goal of the season.
The titans scored twice in the third period to tie the game. First at 4:12 Levente Keresztes capitalized on a Generals turnover, then at 14:04 Robert Hyde buried a puck from just in front of the net after Joe Harney took a shot to get it there and Michael Young popped it in front.
Tied at 3 the teams went to sudden death overtime which lasted 3:17 before Ben Yurchuk carried the puck up the near side wall and across the front of the net lifting the puck over the outstretched DeYoung to win the game 4-3 for the Titans.
Next up for the Generals is a week off followed by a home date with the Maine Nordiques on Tuesday October 25th. Puck drop is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. at the village.
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