The Titans scored five, second period goals en route to a 6 0 victory over the visiting Johnstown Tomahawks to complete a weekend sweep between the teams. Goaltender Zak Brice stopped all 20 shots he faced – including a penalty shot – for his second straight shutout.
It is the first time in Titans franchise history that they have recorded back-to-back shutouts.
After a scoreless first period, the Titans took control of the game by scoring three goals in less than two minutes starting at 4:38 into the middle stanza. Anthony Calafiore picked up the loose puck at center ice along the far side boards and started to skate back towards his own zone but made a backhanded pass to a breaking Levente Keresztes on his right. As Keresztes gained the line, he cut across the slot and took a wrist shot that beat Tomahawks goalie Adam Johnson to make it a 1 – 0 game.
Forty-one seconds later Brady Hildreth doubled the Titans lead. With play inside the Titans zone, Dominik Bartecko picked up the loose puck at the far side halfway and made a nice pass up to Hildreth as Bartecko was being checked into the boards. Hildreth skated the biscuit up along the boards and into the Johnstown zone. As Hildreth reached the faceoff dot, he cut to his left and took a wrist shot that beat Johnson low, long side for Hildreth’s third goal of the season.
Just a minute and ten seconds later (6:29 into the second period), Ethan Wongus made it 3 – 0. After a Johnstown turnover inside the Titans zone, Wongus picked up the loose puck at the top of his own near side faceoff circle and darted down the boards. After turning on the afterburners, Wongus skated through center ice and into the offensive zone. As Wongus gained the line, he cut towards his right through the goalmouth and deked around a fallen Johnson and Wongus lifted the biscuit into the back of the net for his third goal of the season.
Johnson was replaced by Alec Rajalin-Scharp.
With the Titans on the man advantage, Joe Harney took a clapper from the far side point that was saved by Rajalin-Scharp but the rebound was picked up by Robert Hyde in the slot. As Hyde went around the Tomahawks net, he sent a pass out front that went off the Rajalin-Scharp’s back and into the net to give the Titans a commanding 4 – 0 lead with 4:45 left in the second.
Michael Young scored with 1:32 remaining in the period to make it 5 – 0. Ben Muthersbaugh scored his fifteenth goal of the season with 2:37 remaining in the game to close out the scoring and make it 6 – 0.
Johnson and Rajalin-Scharp combined to stop 36 of 42 shots. Click here for the complete box score.
Brice has not allowed a goal in his last 138 minutes played.
The Titans will play their third straight home game on Tuesday, February 28 at 7:00PM against the Rebels.