Forward Lachlan Haeger scored a goal in regulation and the game winning goal in a shootout to give the Titans a 3 – 2 win over the visiting Norwich Sea Captains. The victory gave the Red Buckets a weekend split with Norwich. It also snapped a Titans two-game losing streak.
Norwich opened the scoring just 1:31 into the game. With play in the Titans zone, the Sea Captains’ Cam Hultin took a shot from the top of the far side faceoff circle but it was blocked by a Titans defender and the biscuit went to Tim Hayden at the top of the point. Hayden took a shot that was blocked out front but Teagen Beier picked up the loose puck in the slot and he deked around Titans goaltender Jake Agoglia’s right and Beier lifted the puck up and over the prone goaltender to make it a 1 – 0 game.
Haeger, along with Grant Coykendall and Jason Towindo, was called up earlier in the day from the Titans 18U Premier team, knotted the score at one. As Haeger blocked a shot at the top of his own slot, her carried into the neutral zone and passed it up to Ryan Talorico breaking down the near side boards. As Talorico gained the line, he made a centering from the top of the faceoff circle to Haegar in the slot, and the Middletown native took a wrist shot that beat Norwich’s Presley Patrin for Haeger’s first junior career goal.
With 4:56 remaining in the period, the Titans were called for a delay of game penalty giving Norwich the man advantage. As time was winding down on the powerplay, Hayden gave Norwich a 2 – 1 lead. With play inside the Titans zone, Sea Captains forward Sav Makarenko made a cross-ice pass from the far side half wall to Shane Mazur at the top of the near side faceoff circle. Mazut passed it back to Hayden at the top of the point, and he took a wrist shot that found its way through a screen and past Agoglia for Hayden’s second goal of the season.
Coykendeall scored his first career junior goal to tie the contest at 5:15 into the final period. Talorico incepted a Norwich outlet pass at the Sea Captains far side half wall and immediately passed it to Towindo. Towindo then made a cross-ice pass to Coykendall who took the backdoor pass and buried it past Patrin and into the net to make it a 2 – 2 game.
After regulation ended tied, it went into overtime and concluded knotted at two to force a shootout. Antonio Vidal, Talorico tied the game in shootout and them Haeger scored the game winner.
Agoglia and Patrin each stopped 29 of 31 shots. Click here for the complete box score.
The teams will meet again next weekend at the Middletown Sports Complex for a two-game series beginning on Friday.