Weekend Recap vs Maryland
January 21, 2025 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
New Jersey Titans News Release
The New Jersey Titans took 3 of 4 points for the second time this season last weekend against the defending East Division champion Maryland Black Bears, winning 2-0 on Friday night before falling 4-3 on Saturday night at the Middletown Sports Complex.
Friday night marked the first game in New Jersey between the Titans and the Black Bears since April 26th of last year, when the Black Bears completed a 3-0 sweep of the Titans to end their season, en route to Maryland's second straight appearance in the Robertson Cup Finals. Despite outshooting New Jersey by a 28-16 margin, the game remained scoreless through 40 minutes of play courtesy of strong goaltending from Austin McNicholas.
The Titans would reward their goaltender's efforts by finally breaking through in the third, when Owen Leahy converted on a shorthanded breakaway for his 13th goal of the season just under 7 minutes into the frame. Blake Jones and James Schneid picked up the helpers on Leahy's second shorthanded goal of the season. Maryland continued to press offensively, ultimately putting 22 shots on goal, but McNicholas remained impenetrable. Schneid iced the game in the final minute with an empty net goal, his 7th of the year, and McNicholas earned first star of the game honors by stopping all 50 Maryland shots for his first shutout in the NAHL.
On Saturday, the Black Bears would not allow McNicholas to repeat the feat, striking less than two minutes into the game to take an early lead. Nikolai Meshkantsov, returning to the lineup for his 3rd NAHL game since being called up from the Texas Brahmas of the NA3HL, tied the game less than two minutes later with a laser of a wrist shot from just inside the blue line for his 2nd goal of the season. Jones and Schneid picked up the assists. The Black Bears found the back of the net again later in the period, taking a 2-1 lead into the first intermission.
Ryan Friedman put home a rebound on the power play in the second period to draw the Titans level again, but the lead would slip away minutes later when the Black Bears scored a power play goal of their own to take a 3-2 advantage through 2 periods of play. On the power play for the 7th time of the game, Blake Jones launched a shot from the point that found the back of the net through traffic for his 2nd goal and 22nd point of the season to again tie the game for New Jersey with under 10 minutes to play. However, down a man in overtime, the Black Bears scored in the final minute of the extra frame for the second time this season to escape the Garden State with a 4-3 victory.
With the weekend split, the Titans remain in 4th place in the East Division, now sporting a record of 19-13-6 with 44 points. They are 7 points behind Rochester and Maine, currently tied for first in the division. The Titans will be in action again this weekend with a home and home series against the Danbury Jr Hat Tricks, heading up to the Hat City on Friday before hosting Danbury on Saturday night. Saturday also marks Law Enforcement Night at the Middletown Sports Complex, where all first responders are entitled to free tickets. Faceoff is scheduled for 7:00pm on both nights, and tickets can be purchased for Saturday night's game by following this link.
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North American Hockey League Stories from January 21, 2025
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- Weekend Recap vs Maryland - New Jersey Titans
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