Titans Keep Win Streak Alive
October 30, 2011
Denis Lacourse
The Temiscaming Titans were playing their third game in three nights Saturday evening in Deseronto against the Storm (4-5-3). After ealier victories at home thursday, 7-4 over Orangeville and a 4-0 shutout Friday in Lefroy against the Wave, the Titans made it a perfect weekend with a 6-3 victory over the Storm and now have a 13 game unbeaten streak. Also the victory earns the Titans top spot in the 14 team league tied with the Lumberjacks but the Titans have three games in hand on Sturgeon Falls. After a scoreless first period that saw each team control play for several minutes at a time and in which the Titans were penalized three times to the Storms single infraction, the play of the speciality teams would be highlighted tonight. Ravi Chand and Ryan Adams along with Kevin Boucher are the PK specialists and they earned their pay tonight.
Things got going in the middle period as Andre Leclair opened the scoring at 6:10. The goal was being announced when the Storms Carson Nelles tied the game 15 seconds later. About six minutes later, the Storm took advantage of a miscue in the Titans zone and took the lead on a goal by John Sweet. It looked like the Storm would go to the break with a 2-1 lead, but the line of Leclair, Mendelsohn and Tahbazian had a different plan as they played their cycling game to a T and Leclair tied the game with only 26 seconds left to play. The Titans had to kill off another 4 minors including a 5 on 3 for about 1:45. Again the penalty killers were asked to keep the opposition off the scoresheet and they held their own without allowing a goal. Reilly Turner making his second consecutive start, due to an Aaron Boyce injury suffered on thursday, kept the Storm from taking a lead as the 2 teams went to their respective dressing rooms tied at 2 goals apiece with the final 20 minutes or more to decide th outcome of this game.
The Titans came out strong early in the third and took their third lead of the game at 2:37 as the Titans #1 line were at again, but this time it was Robin Mendelsohn with the goal. At 13:02, D.J. Tahbazian gave the Titans a two goal cushion. But the Storm crept to within one only 83 seconds later, when Andrew Bobas beat Turner close in. Some intense forechecking by the big line again paid dividends as Andre Leclair stole the puck from a Deseronto player and beat Pavlo Stepanenko to restore the two goal advantage. Leclair earned a hat trick and now leads the GMHL scoring race with 22 goals and 26 assists for 58 points. His linemate Robin Mendelsohn is in third place with 16 goals and 21 assists for 37 points. D.J.Tahbazian has 27 points. Defenseman Cody Labrecque sealed the victory with an empty netter with only 11 seconds.
Shots were 41-33 Storm. The Titans received 10 of the 13 minor penalties. The stars were Andre Leclair, Reilly Turner and Robin Mendelsohn.
