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Titans perfect in week of play, control playoff destiny

March 22, 2004 - ECHL (ECHL)
Trenton Devils News Release


TRENTON, NJ – The Titans made a triumphant return to Sovereign Bank Arena going a perfect 4-for-4 this week to vault themselves into a playoff spot.

The Titans started the week of play on Wednesday against the Peoria Rivermen. Looking to redeem themselves for two losses to Peoria last week, the Titans were able to pull out a 4-2 victory on Wednesday with the help of Scott Bertoli's 100th goal of his ECHL career.

Trailing Reading by four points for the fifth and final playoff spot in the division, the Titans now faced the Royals for an important two-game set. With Peter Hamerlik allowing only one goal against his former mates on Friday, the Titans eked out the 2-1 victory.

Saturday's game proved to be a sharp contrast from the previous night. The Titans scored four power play goals and Bryce Cockburn recorded the first hat trick of his pro career as Trenton skated away with a 5-0 shutout.

Now in a tie for fifth place with the Royals with a game in hand, the Titans had a chance to take sole possession of the last playoff spot with a win on Sunday against the Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies. They did just that as Scott Bertoli and Mathieu Brunelle each had a goal and an assist in a 4-2 victory.

The Titans next take on the Greensboro Generals at Sovereign Bank Arena on Thursday, March 25 at 7:00pm and Friday, March 26 at 7:30pm. And it wouldn' t be a complete weekend without a game against the Johnstown Chiefs at Cambria County War Memorial on Saturday, March 27 at 7:00pm.

LAST WEEK:

Wednesday, March 17 vs. Peoria – 7:00pm W 4-2 Sovereign Bank Arena

- Returning home for the first time in fifteen days, the Titans ended their season series with the Rivermen on a high note. Trenton got on the board first as Nick Deschenes, freshly assigned from the Philadelphia Phantoms, notched a power play goal 6:37 into the game. The Rivermen would take the lead, however, with goals :55 apart by Marty Johnston and Colin Hemingway. The lead would last less than a minute as Scott Bertoli's 100th goal of his Titans career tied the score 2-2 heading into the first intermission. In the second period Devin Rask picked out the top corner and fired the puck past Levente Szuper to put the Titans up by one goal. Andrew Allen made 27 saves as he kept Peoria off the board for the remainder of the game. Vince Williams added an empty-netter to clinch the 4-2 win for the Titans.

Friday, March 19 vs. Reading – 7:30pm W 2-1 Sovereign Bank Arena

- Sitting four points behind the Royals for the final playoff spot in the Northern Division, the Titans looked to close the gap in the first of two games versus Reading this weekend. A tight game throughout, Chris Pittman broke up open the scoring when he beat Cody Rudkowsky to a loose puck in the Royals zone and backhanded it into the open net. David Masse would help Reading tie it up as he stole Peter Hamerlik's outlet pass and shot it into the open net for a power play goal and a 1-1 score. Just 1:48 later Miguel Delisle put Robert Liscak's centering pass past Rudkowsky to make the score 2-1. Hamerlik would make stop 10 shots in the third period to help preserve the win versus his former team.

Saturday, March 20 vs. Reading – 7:00pm W 5-0 Sovereign Bank Arena

- Now only two points behind Reading for fifth place and smelling blood, the Titans got a big boost from a rejuvenated power play and rookie Bryce Cockburn. With Reagan Rome in the box for tripping, Cockburn was able to roof his own rebound over Tom Lawson for a 1-0 lead. On the power play again 1:24 later, Mathieu Brunelle took a deflected blueline shot and rammed into the open net for a 2-0 Titans lead after one period. Going 4-for-8 with the man advantage during the game, the Titans added two more power play goals as Matt Zultek and Cockburn lit the lamp :31 apart for a 4-0 lead. Cockburn would add another one at 14:16 of the third period to complete the hat trick. BJ Kilbourne had a Titans season high four assists and Peter Hamerlik recorded his shutout of his pro career.

Sunday, March 21 vs. Atlantic City – 3:00pm W 4-2 Sovereign Bank Arena

- The Titans continued their dominance of Atlantic City at Sovereign Bank Arena, where they are now 3-0-1 against the Bullies. It looked as though playing three games in three days caught up with Trenton as Josh Prudden gave the Bullies a 1-0 lead just 1:23 into the game. The Titans would answer back, however, with the help of power play goals by Mathieu Brunelle and Scott Bertoli. The Titans' success with the man advantage would continue in the second period as PJ Martin took the rebound from a BJ Kilbourne slapshot and put it past Bujar Amidovski to give the Titans a 3-1 lead. Luke Curtin cut the Titans lead to one goal with a power play goal of his own late in the period, but the Andre Allen would shut the door for the rest of the game. The Titans goaltender made 19 saves for his 15th win on home ice.

THIS WEEK:

Thursday, March 25 vs. Greensboro – 7:00pm Sovereign Bank Arena

- The third game of four between the Titans and Generals. The two teams have split the season series thus far with Greensboro taking the last game 6-3 at the Coliseum.

Friday, March 26 vs. Greensboro – 7:30pm Sovereign Bank Arena

- The last match-up of the year for Trenton and Greensboro. The Titans lead the all-time series 14-7-4.

Saturday, March 27 @ Johnstown – 7:00pm Cambria County War Memorial

- The final game for the Titans at Cambria County War Memorial where they are 0-3 this season. Shawn Mather has 5 goals and 7 points in seven games versus Trenton his season.

TITANS BROADCAST INFO:

Tune into all Trenton Titans games on their flagship radio station, Money Talk 1350AM or listen in on the Titans website, www.trentontitans.com. The voice of the Titans, Mike O'Brien will bring of your Titans hockey action.

Titans Streaks
· The Titans have won four in a row and seven consecutive at Sovereign Bank Arena.
· The Titans are 7-for-16 (43.8%) with the man advantage in their last two games.
· Trenton is now 3-0-1 versus Atlantic City at home.
· #20 Chris Pittman had his ten-game home scoring streak (7g, 6a) snapped Friday night against the Reading Royals.
· Andrew Allen is 15-3-2 with a 1.98 goals against average, a .932 save percentage and three shutouts.
· At Sovereign Bank Arena, the Titans' power play ranks seventh in the ECHL (20.8%), while their penalty kill is second in the league (89.1%).

Milestones
· #21 Bryce Cockburn netted his first hat trick of his pro career in a 5-0 win over the Reading Royals on Saturday evening.
· #19 Scott Bertoli scored his 100th ECHL goal at 16:18 of the first period in a 4-2 win over the Peoria Rivermen on Wednesday.
· #10 Ryan Crane tallied his 50th ECHL point with his second of three assists in Saturday's win 5-0 win over Reading.
· #9 BJ Kilbourne reached the 200 point plateau on his second assist in the Titan's 5-0 shutout of the Reading Royals on Saturday night. Kilbourne had 4 assists in the game.

In the Community:

March 22 – Come down as "Along the Boards" hosted by the voice of the Trenton Titans, Mike O'Brien. Call in with your questions or comments at 888.578.2428. "Along the Boards" can be heard weekly on Money Talk 1350AM from 7pm – 8pm live from Savoy's on Route 130 in Yardville, NJ.

March 26 - The first 2000 fans at the Titans/Generals game will receive Titans T-Shirts courtesy of Credit Union of New Jersey.

Practice/Game Schedule:
Monday, March 22 – Off
Tuesday, March 23 – Practice, 10am – 12pm @ Sovereign Bank Arena
Wednesday, March 24– Practice, 10am – 12pm @ Sovereign Bank Arena
Thursday, March 25 – Pre-game skate, 10:00 @ Sovereign Bank Arena
Game vs. Greensboro – 7:00pm
Friday, March 26 – Pre-game skate, 10:00 @ Sovereign Bank Arena
Game vs. Greensboro – 7:30pm
Leave for Johnstown
Saturday, March 27
Game @ Johnstown – 7:00pm
Sunday, March 28 – Off
Monday, March 29 – Practice, 10am – 12pm @ Sovereign Bank Arena

Transactions:
03/15/2004 Add ANDREW ALLEN (G) assigned by Binghamton (AHL)
03/16/2004 Add MATT HERNEISEN (F) activated off IR
03/16/2004 Delete MATT HERNEISEN (F) traded to Dayton
03/16/2004 Delete SCOTT KIRTON (RW) traded to San Diego
03/17/2004 Add NICK DESCHENES (LW) assigned by Philadelphia (AHL)
03/18/2004 Add MIGUEL DELISLE (C) traded from Dayton
03/18/2004 Add ANTOINE BERGERON (D) activated off IR
03/18/2004 Delete TYLER KINDLE (D) traded to Cincinnati
03/18/2004 Delete NICK DESCHENES (LW) recalled to Philadelphia (AHL)
03/20/2004 Delete ANDREW ALLEN (G) recalled to Binghamton (AHL)
03/21/2004 Add ANDREW ALLEN (G) assigned by Binghamton (AHL)



ECHL Stories from March 22, 2004


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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