Maryland vs. Maine: This Weekend's Series Preview

The NAHL season is in the home stretch, with each East Division team having less than 15 games left in their regular season schedule. Each game, each point becoming more important as the postseason in April nears. After splitting with Elmira last weekend, Maryland needs either two wins, two Philadelphia Rebels losses with at least one of those losses coming in regulation, or one win and a Rebels loss of any kind to clinch a playoff berth for the third consecutive season. If the Black Bears want to remain second place in the East Division, this weekend will be crucial, as they head to Lewiston, Maine, to take on their rival, the third place Maine Nordiques, who have a 29-16-4 record with 62 points to Maryland’s 63 points.

Despite putting up 62 shots in two games, Maryland’s offense was only able to muster up three goals against the Elmira Aviators this past weekend. Game one was a defensive showcase, as Marko Bilic made 34 saves and got goals from forwards Isac Nielsen and Kareem El-Bashir for a 2-0 win and Bilic’s third shutout this season. With the shutout, Bilic became the first goaltender to record back-to-back shutouts since Colin Ronan accomplished the feat on September 29-30, 2023. The Black Bears got off to a strong start the following night, scoring less than two minutes in with a goal from forward Harrison Smith, who finished off a pass on the near side of the net from forward Sebastian Speck for a 1-0 lead. The Aviators got a second period goal from forward Charlie Vincent and a third period five-on-three power play goal from forward Jett Otwell to take a 2-1 lead they would not relinquish.

The Maine Nordiques took on the fifth place Johnstown Tomahawks last weekend as they too seek to lock up an East Division playoff spot. Despite being outshot in all three periods, Maine was able to take down Johnstown 3-1. The Nordiques got first period goals from forwards Connor McNaughton and Michael Stenberg for a 2-0 lead. The Tomahawks got a goal back in the second period to make it 2-1, but Maine defenseman Luke Chappelle iced the game with an empty net goal to make the final score 3-1. Nordiques goaltender Carter Richardson made 32 saves in the win. Night two started off strong for Maine, with forward Ethan Wongus striking towards the end of the first period for a 1-0 Nordiques lead. Maine would hold onto this lead well into the third period until the Tomahawk’s offense came to life, scoring twice in the second half of the final frame to take a 2-1 lead they would hold onto for the win and split on the weekend.

So far in the season series, Maryland has a 1-3-0 record against Maine. Kareem El-Bashir opened the season by scoring the overtime winning goal in the Black Bears’ lone 3-2 victory over the Nordiques in the fall.

 Players To Watch:

Ethan Wongus (F, MNE): Wongus has been driving the Nordiques’ offense during their 6-3-1 stretch that has kept them in the race for a top two spot in the East Division and a bye-week during the play-in round. In that ten game stretch, Wongus has four goals and seven assists for 11 points.

Kareem El-Bashir (F, MYD): El-Bashir has been a thorn in the side of the Maine Nordiques for some time now. From scoring twice in game five during the 2024 East Division final to eliminate Maine to scoring the season-opening overtime winner to down the Nordiques in September, playing Maryland’s rival seems to bring out his best. El-Bashir has been playing well the past few weeks, scoring two goals and three points in his last three games.

Maryland and Maine are set for their final regular season confrontations at The Colisée on Friday, February 28th, at 7:30 p.m. ET, and Saturday, March 1st, with the start time TBD. Keep an eye on Black Bears’ social media for game time updates regarding Saturday’s game. All games can be streamed on NAHLTV.