It’s been 565 days since the Jamestown Rebels played a game at Northwest Arena.

They’ll return there tonight for their North American Hockey League regular-season opener against the New Jersey Titans.

On March 7 of last year, Noah Finstrom scored with 4:15 remaining in the first period to tie a game against the same Titans. Ole Andersen gave the New Jersey a 2-1 lead with 15:06 left in the second period that Saturday night and the Titans held on to win by the same score.

Five days later, the NAHL went on a pause due to the coronavirus pandemic and five days after that — with the Rebels in the thick of a chase for the final East Division playoff spot — Commissioner Mark Frankenfeld canceled the remainder of the 2019-20 season.

With restrictions limiting gatherings of large crowds — especially in New York state — Jamestown decided to go dormant for the 2020-21 season and lost any rights to its players heading into the 2021-22 campaign.

Joe Coombs, the Rebels head coach and general manager, was forced to assemble an entirely new team for this season and Jamestown actually had a fairly positive experience at last week’s NAHL Showcase in Blaine, Minnesota.

The Rebels went 3-1 in the Land of 10,000 Lakes to the surprise of many, including Coombs.

“Some of the kids we felt were going to be good players,” Coombs said Thursday afternoon, “and I’d like to say they figured out pretty quickly the compete level necessary to play in the league.”

After being shut out by the Springfield Jr. Blues 7-0 on Wednesday, Coombs made what some might consider sweeping changes to his roster. The losing goalie was released, three defenseman were acquired in a single trade, a free-agent defenseman was added and the team added a forward.

“It was demoralizing. As a coach, I expect to win every game, but the reality is you don’t. We just want to check all the boxes that we are doing the right things,” Coombs said. “When you lose 7-0, your players aren’t very good and you aren’t checking any boxes. … Wednesday night was a long night.”

Jamestown rebounded with a 4-1 victory over the North Iowa Bulls on Thursday. Defenseman Owen West had a goal and two assists while captain John Lundy, forward Reid Lune and defenseman Noah Szretter each had a goal and an assist for the Rebels. Nolan Suggs made 33 saves on 34 shots in between the pipes.

“We put those guys in the lineup and they just competed harder, checked harder and when we didn’t have the puck, they did a lot more to get it back,” Coombs said. “They found themselves in the win column.”

Jamestown carried that success over into Friday’s matchup with the Lone Star Brahmas. The Rebels led 2-1 after two periods, but actually gave up the first two goals of the third period to trail 3-2 with 7:02 remaining. Emerick Nadeau tied the game with his first goal of the showcase from Jak Vaarwerk and Luke Delzer before Nadeau scored the eventual game-winning goal with 3:22 remaining, again from Vaarwerk.

“He’s a good hockey player and he shoots the puck like an absolute pro,” Coombs said of Nadeau. “He finds the open spot and three or four of them were from Jak, who sees the ice really well. … The two of them have found some chemistry and they’re enjoying playing with each other.”

On Saturday, Jamestown and the Odessa Jackalopes were tied 1-1 after two periods before Nadeau’s fourth goal of the showcase gave the Rebels a 2-1 lead early in the third period. Liam O’Hare’s power-play goal with 5:49 remaining tied the game for the Jackalopes but West scored his third of the week unassisted just 28 seconds later to give the Rebels a one-goal lead. Suggs made 21 saves on 23 shots and Jamestown left the NSC Super Rink with Suggs’ and the team’s third victory to pick up six of a possible eight points.

“He made some good stops. … The goalie has to give you a chance to win and that’s what Nolan has done,” Coombs said. “You aren’t asking for goalies to score goals, just give us a chance to win.”

Now the Rebels will enter regular-season play against New Jersey today and tomorrow with 7:05 p.m. puck drops at Northwest Arena. The Titans actually opened the season by splitting a series with the Maryland Black Bears before the NAHL Showcase and then picked up two of a possible eight points in Minnesota.

“There is no love lost between the two teams,” Coombs said. “I don’t like them any more than they like us.”

Last season, New Jersey finished third in the East Division with 61 points before losing a five-game series to the Maine Nordiques in the Robertson Cup Playoffs.

“I’m glad they’re here and I’m glad we’re playing. At the same time, I don’t care who it is,” Coombs said. “Let’s play. Enough of the break and enough of what has gone on in the world. Let’s find some normalcy and get back to it.”