Tuesday Thriller: The Titans Take Down the Hat Tricks Thanks to the Third Period

Owen Leahy nets the game-winning goal in the contest

Danbury 1 @ New Jersey 3 - The New Jersey Titans earned a 3-1 win over the Danbury Hat Tricks on Tuesday night, which was powered by a strong third period and a powerful defensive effort. Both teams entered the matchup looking to gain ground in a tight East Division race, and after 40 minutes of play, the score sat even at 1-1. Danbury struck first in the opening period when Matt Shpungin netted his sixth of the season at 5:58 off a feed from Ryan Lukko. New Jersey responded midway through the second as Arseniy Zharikov buried his sixth at 13:47, assisted by Blake Jones and Skogen Schrott, sending the game into the third period tied. The Titans took control late in the game. With 16:57 remaining, Owen Leahy put New Jersey ahead with his fifth of the year off thanks to assists from Matt Hanscom and Ty Creech. With 45 seconds left, Skogen Schrott added insurance, thanks to a setup from Jones, who tallied his second assist of the night. Special teams were a storyline, with both teams going scoreless on the power play, Danbury 0-for-7 and New Jersey 0-for-5, and a chippy third period featuring multiple penalties, including a game misconduct. In net, Andrei Nikolaev stopped 33 of 34 shots to secure the win for the Titans, while Parker Stockseth turned aside 23 of 25 for the Hat Tricks.