LEWISTON — Saturday was the complete opposite of Friday night.
After falling to the Maine Nordiques on Friday, the New Jersey Titans returned the favor in a big way with a 9-2 victory in front of 1,611 fans at the Androscoggin Bank Colisee.
The Nordiques won the first game of the two-game series 7-3.
“We just wanted to make sure we had a response,” Titans coach Craig Doremus said. “I didn’t think we played terribly last night, but I don’t think we managed pucks typically well, and they are a good hockey team. They are a good hockey team, if you give them opportunities, they will take advantage.”
Matt Cameron and Kyle Jeffers each had two goals and an assist to pace the Titans’ offense. Josef Glamos and Michael Outzen added a goal and an assist apiece.
“They are two gifted young men,” Doremus said of Cameron and Jeffers. “They see the game at a different level, as far as their hockey IQ and their ability to shoot and skate. They are each a little bit different in their traits that they bring to the table, but very strong offensive players for our team.”
New Jersey opened the game with a four-goal first-period onslaught.
Cameron, who has committed to play Niagara University, gave the Titans a 1-0 lead when Nordiques goalie Wesley Mankowski couldn’t swallow up a rebound after a Tyler Nasca shot, and Cameron jammed home the puck just before the four-minute mark.
Michael Outzen he fired the puck past Mankowski in the slot from a fed from Mitch Machlitt to give New Jersey (30-8-1, 61 points) a 2-0 lead midway through the first.
Soon after, Shane Haviland stretched the lead to 3-0, and Nasca capped the scoring for the Titans in the first period with 19 seconds remaining.
“We knew (New Jersey’s pushback) was coming,” Nordiques coach Nolan Howe said. “For whatever reason, we have been inconsistent all year in second games (in weekend series). We know what we needed to do to beat that team, we are fully capable, but we didn’t execute our details early, we were sloppy in our end of the rink, special teams cost us, faceoffs cost us, our emotions got the best of us.”
New Jersey went 3-for-5 on the power play, while Maine was 0-for-4.
At the start of the second period, Avery Sturtz (21 saves) replaced Mankowski (seven saves) as Maine’s goalie.
The Nordiques (18-25-2, 38 points) answered quickly in the second. Luke Antonacci shot the puck on net, catching Titans goalie Patrick Pugliese (28 saves) by surprise, and the went through Pugliese’s five-hole 1:40 into the period. Cannon Green and Tim Kent had the assists on the goal.
Kyle Jeffers, an American International College commit, restored a four-goal lead for the Titans by beating Sturtz in the slot.
Cameron notched his second of the contest, roofing the puck top shelf, in the final minute of the second frame.
The action got heated late in the second, but nothing spilled over into the third. Howe had a direct order for his team going into the final period.
“I said, ‘We need everybody available to play Maryland,’” Howe said to his team during the second intermission. “They are the two biggest games of the season coming up, we got to win them both. I told them to keep their head, control your emotions and go out and win the third period.”
The Nordiques have next weekend off before traveling down to Maryland to face the Black Bears on Feb. 14-15. Maryland, meanwhile, faces the Titans next weekend. The Black Bears have a three-point advantage over the Nordiques for the fourth and final Eastern Division playoff spot.
Jeffers scored his second goal of the game just past the five-minute mark of the third period.
Stefan Owens tried to beat Pugliese on a wraparound but couldn’t, the puck bounced off Pugliese’s pad into the air, but Kevin Pitts batted the puck home for the Nordiques’ second goal just past the eight-minute mark of the final period.
Josef Glacos scored on the power play to give the Titans a 8-2 lead. Chris Garbe added to the Titans tally in the third period.
NA3HL
L/A 5, NEW ENGLAND 2: The L/A Nordiques scored four times in the second period a victory over the New England Stars in Lewiston.
Lewiston native Sam Frechette scored two goals and had an assist for L/A, and Joe Clark added a goal and three assists.
Hans Watson and Bradley McMains also had goals for the Nordiques (28-8-1, 59 points).
Kennebunk native Luke Church gave the Stars a 1-0 lead in the first period. Anthony Viola also scored for New England.
Goalie Brogan McDonald made 31 saves for the Nordiques. Nathan Hadley stopped 42 shots for the Stars (25-9-4, 54 points).
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