Nordiques players Liam Gilmartin, right, and Evan Orloff help out goaltender Thomas Heaney with a save of their own during second period action against the New Jersey Titans at The Colisee in Lewiston on Friday. Ron Morin photo
LEWISTON — Every time the Maine Nordiques crawled back to tie the game, the New Jersey Titans took the lead back.
The Nordiques ran out of chances when the game went to a shootout, and New Jersey defeated Maine 5-4 in an NAHL East Division game at The Colisee on Friday night.
“I thought for our guys, it was a good stepping stone for us,” Titans coach Craig Doremus said. “I thought we didn’t have the ability to do that early in the year. I think our young players are starting to mature and come around to figure out what it takes in junior hockey.”
Maine Nordiques coach Nick Skerlick said the Nordiques’ effort was there, but wasn’t rewarded on the scoreboard.
“It’s really frustrating when you won 45 of 65 minutes,” Skerlick said. “Their goalie was good tonight — he was really good. We missed some key opportunities. We are at the point of the season where that was a playoff game.”
Jack Hiller and Dominik Bartecko each had a goal and an assist in the win for the Titans (28-20-3, 59 points).
“I liked how we played; we got to an early 2-0 lead,” Bartecko said. “They had a pretty good push at the end of the second, but I am pretty happy how we bounced back.”
Despite the Nordiques (32-12-6, 70 points) battling back to tie it at 2-2 in the second period, the Titans took control again early in the third period when Ryan Friedman put home a one-timer top shelf. Bartecko and Hiller had the assists.
“I just kind of saw him out of the corner of my eye,” Bartecko said of setting up the goal. “I got a good bounce in the (offensive) zone and got a pass off. It was an unbelievable shot.”
Maine got a 5-on-3 power play when New Jersey took back-to-back penalties. Charles Tardif scored on the two-man advantage by being a net-front presence and getting a stick on Zion Green’s pass to put the puck past Titans goalie Zakari Brice (42 saves) to tie the game at 3-3 with under 15 minutes remaining in the third. Nicholas Bernardo also had an assist.
After making the initial kick save, Nordiques goalie Thomas Heaney (22 saves) couldn’t stop a second attempt by Hiller to put New Jersey up 4-3 midway through the third period.
Maine got some offensive pressure with under three minutes remaining but couldn’t get the puck behind Brice.
Heaney went to the bench with a minute remaining and the Nordiques made the final push. There was a scramble in front of Brice and Kellen Murphy popped in the puck for the tying goal with 37 seconds remaining.
Murphy became the Nordiques’ all-time leading goal-scorer, as that was his 38th goal of his career.
“He’s just an offensive weapon,” Skerlick said. “Not a lot of people have what he brings. We are really happy for Kellen.”
New Jersey wanted the officials to go to the replay of the goal to look for goaltender interference, but the officials didn’t take a second look.
Maine held onto possession for the majority of the 3-on-3 overtime, but Heaney had to come up with a save with under a minute remaining. Maine outshot New Jersey 5-2 in the extra session.
“Every time we unload in overtime, we lose shootouts,” Skerlick said. “I can think the first game with Philly, we lost a shootout. I think the shots were seven, eight to one. There was another game we had, it was an OT thriller and we ended up losing.”
Logan Renkowski of the Titans and Tomek Haula of the Nordiques each scored in the first round of the shootout. No other shooters found the back of the net until Arhip Sidarovich of New Jersey clinched the win in the fourth round.
“Arhip is a skilled young man,” Doremus said. “He was able to utilize his talent and his ability there to make a high-end play and beat a good goaltender there.”
The Titans took a 1-0 advantage late in the first period when Ryan Novo deflected an Odin Ford shot past Heaney.
Alexander Park took a double minor for roughing in the second period. The Nordiques killed the first minor, but a Bartecko wrap-around attempt deflected off a Nordiques player’s skate in the crease and into the goal at the halfway point of the middle frame.
“It was a good play by Ryan Friedman by cutting the seam and giving it to me,” Bartecko said. “…I didn’t get quite the full wrap-around, but I got lucky it hit off a skate.”
David Helledy helped even the game for the Nordiques. He skated to the right circle and his first shot beat Brice with 6:26 remaining in the second. Forward Cole Hipkin had an assist.
A Helledy point shot got redirected by forward Liam Gilmartin to tie the game at 2-2 with under two minutes remaining in the middle frame.
“David was special tonight,” Skerlick said. “That’s why he’s a Division-I commit to a very good hockey institute (Bentley University).”
The teams meet again on Saturday at 7 p.m. at The Colisee.
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