Those changes paid immediate dividends in Blaine, Minnesota as the Rebels left the Land of 10,000 Lakes on a three-game winning streak.

But Jamestown showed Friday that it still might take some time for the team to fully gel.

The Rebels fell behind 3-0 early in the second period of their home opener at Northwest Arena lost to the New Jersey Titans 4-2.

Jamestown generated just 21 shots, including only 10 in the first two periods of action.

Jamestown’s Blake Arneson handles the puck during Friday’s game at Northwest Arena. P-J photo by Scott Reagle

“We don’t have the group that is going to take our game to them, at least at this point,” said Coombs, the Rebels’ head coach and general manager. “They take the game to us and get two goals off mistakes that quite honestly, we practiced all week long.”

Jamestown had a chance to tie the game late. After New Jersey iced the puck, Coombs called a timeout and pulled goaltender Chase Hale for a 6-on-5 advantage with an offensive-zone faceoff and 19 seconds showing on the clock. But the Rebels lost the draw, the Titans wrapped the puck around the boards and eventually scored into an empty net as time expired.

“We had a play on there, but you can’t have a play on when you lose the faceoff,” Coombs said. “You can’t lose that faceoff. That’s the hockey game right there.”

New Jersey led 2-0 after a lackadaisical first period during which Jamestown generated just four shots on goal.

“The first period was just bad,” Coombs said.

Jamestown Rebels teammates celebrate with Lucas Klemm, front, after his second-period goal during Friday’s NAHL East Division game against the New Jersey Titans at Northwest Arena. P-J photo by Scott Reagle

The Titans’ first goal came on the power play with the Rebels’ Emeric Nadeau in the penalty box for tripping. New Jersey’s Anthony Calafiore passed to Jake LaRusso along the goal line. LaRusso then attempted to find an open teammate on the back door, but the pass was partially blocked before an uncovered Tommy Bannister took possession in front of the goal and beat Hale with a forehand-backhand move.

“He just didn’t squeeze the ice. That’s a play we’ve practiced,” Coombs said. ” … It got through and the guy was alone with our goalie. There was nothing the goalie could do on any of them, quite frankly.”

Defenseman Jack Karlsson scored the Titans’ second goal when he streaked into the slot uncovered and beat Hale to the blocker side with a wrist shot.

“We had four guys back,” Coombs said. “They only had three in the play and all four of our guys went to the puck.”

Captain Stephen Willey gave New Jersey a 3-0 lead less than five minutes into the second period when he took advantage of a puck knocked out of midair by the Rebels in the neutral zone and broke in alone on Hale before scoring on his backhand.

Jamestown finally got on the scoreboard with 10:42 showing in the second period as Kevin Marx Moren was the recipient of some nice passing from Max Hamstad and Chase McClellan before scoring on a wrist shot off the goal post.

Lucas Klemm then scored his first of the young season with just less than four minutes remaining in the second period to make it 3-2.

“The generation of the play turned, but our chances didn’t turn. … We don’t generate enough. We’re not skilled enough off pretty plays. We have to generate pucks to the net,” Coombs said. ” … It’s a road under construction. I think we are a better team than we played, but getting it out of them is going to be a challenge.”

Neither team could score throughout the third period until Bannister’s empty-netter in the dying seconds.

“At the end of the day, our process wasn’t good enough,” Coombs said. “It showed tonight.”

The same teams will meet again today at 7:05 p.m. at Northwest Arena with Jamestown looking to get back into the win column.

“We have 25 news faces. This isn’t going to be quick, but at the same time the disappointment is the same,” Coombs said. “It’s the second week of the season, so at the end of the day we’re OK.”