Marcus Sang and Michael Young each had a goal and an assist while defenseman Eric Charpentier had a pair of assists to help lead the Titans to a 4 -3 win over the visiting Danbury Jr. Hat Tricks and complete a weekend sweep of the two teams.
The win was number 225 for head coach Craig Doremus and assistant coach Bobby DiRico. The duo has ran the team since its second year in the North American Hockey League.
Danbury’s Logan Nickerson opened the scoring at 5:07 into the first period when he intercepted a Brendan Dumas inside the Titans zone at the far side faceoff dot, and he took a wrist shot that beat netminder Zak Brice high long side to make it a 1 – 0 game.
The visitors lead didn’t last long. Eighteen seconds in face when Reece Brednich scored his fifth goal of the season. Brady Hildreth picked up the loose puck from a scrum in the Danbury far side corner and he went behind the cage. As he circled around the net to the left of Tricks goalie Karlis Mezsargs, Hildreth sent a pass through the goal mouth that Brednich immediately took a one-timer that beat Mezsargs short side.
At 7:39 of the first, Danbury’s Aidan Farro was called for high sticking to give the Titans the man advantage. With less than thirty seconds remaining in the powerplay, Levente Keresztes gave the Titans the lead. Charpentier started the play at the top of the point and passed the puck over to Young at the far side faceoff circle. Young made a cross-ice pass through the slot to Keresztes who was to the left of Mezsargs. Keresztes went to make centering pass but the biscuit went off the body of Tricks defender Max Matthews and into the net for the Budapest, Hungry native’s sixteenth goal of the year.
Danbury’s Wyatt Stefan scored at the 9:04 mark of the period to tie the game at tow when came down the near side boards and took a wrist shot that beat Brick low glove side for Stefan’s eighth goal of the season.
With 8:16 remaining in the opening period, Danbury’s Peter Lajoy was called for tripping to put the Titans back on the powerplay. Over a minute later the Titans regained the lead. As Anthony Calafiore entered the offensive zone along the near side boards, he made a drop pass to Robert Hyde to immediately sent it back to Charpentier at the point. The Dartmouth commit made a cross-ice pass to Young who stepped up to the top of the far side faceoff circle and took a wrist shot that went off the long side post and into the back of the net for Young’s team high seventeenth goal of the season.
The Red Buckets doubled their lead at 7:38 into the middle stanza when Sang converted on a powerplay opportunity. Joe Harney set up the play at the top of the far side faceoff circle and passed the biscuit over to Ben Yurchuk on his left at the top of the slot. Yurchuk passed it over to Ben Muthersbaugh at the half wall and Muthersbaugh took a shot that was saved by Mezsargs but the rebound came right out to Sang on the door step, and Sang jammed it home into the back of the net for his seventh goal of the season.
Danbury cut their deficit to one with 1:14 into the third period when Emerson Molas scored his first goal of the season on the man advantage to make it a 4 – 3 game and close out the scoring.
Brice and Marino Ramirez (who replaced Brice after the first period) combined to stop 25 of 28 shots while Mezsargs turned aside 43 of 47. Click here for the complete box score.
The Titans now enter a bye week and will resume their schedule on Friday, February 17 when they take to the road for a two-game series in Danbury against these same Jr. Hat Tricks.