Series Preview: Maryland Welcomes New Jersey in Postseason Rematch

The Maryland Black Bears are coming off a successful weekend that saw the team sweep the Northeast Generals at home as well as move to 2-0 on the year in shootouts. This upcoming weekend, Maryland will welcome the New Jersey Titans to town in an East Division Semifinal rematch that saw Maryland sweep New Jersey in three games.

The Black Bears looked to bounce back to success at home after failing to sweep its last three home series. To do that, they needed to bring their best to take on the Northeast Generals despite missing some key players. Forwards Owen Boucher and Harrison Smith, along with defenseman Mason Stenger, were all called up to the Black Bears’ United States Hockey League affiliate, the Youngstown Phantoms. On top of that, goaltender Benji Motew and forwards Tyler Stern, Luke Janus, and Tommy Holtby were all out for various reasons. In response, Maryland called up forwards David Van Iterson (Mercer Chiefs, NCDC), Jaden Duprey (Seacoast Spartans, NCDC), defenseman Dominik Boltnar (Team Maryland AAA), and goaltender Logan Hughes (Team Maryland AAA) to join the team.

Game one started out rocky as Maryland allowed the game’s first two goals. However, the Black Bears battled back with goals from forward Riley Fast and defenseman Sebastien Brockman. Duprey then got on the board with his first goal for Maryland to make the score 3-2. Despite a responding goal on the power play by the Generals, the Black Bears battled to the shootout for the first time at home this season. There, Maryland got goals from forwards Isac Nielsen, Riley Fast, and Luke Rubin as well as a big save by goaltender Ryan Denes to win the game 4-3 in the shootout. Denes made 40 saves in regulation and overtime. Game two was a much more dominant affair for the Black Bears. Maryland overcame one-goal deficits twice in the first period with two goals from forward Trey Hinton to see the score 2-2 after one period. In the second period, the Black Bears came alive with goals from forward David Van Iterson, his first with Maryland, and defensemen Dylan Gordon and Victor Mannebratt for a 5-2 lead after two periods. Hinton completed his hat trick in the third period to make it 6-2, but the Generals came marching back into the game, scoring two quick goals to make it 6-4 with just under six minutes left in the game. Black Bears’ forward Kareem El-Bashir put the game away just 29 seconds after the fourth Northeast goal, going coast-to-coast with a highlight reel goal to make the score 7-4, a score that would hold up to be the final. Denes once again was stellar in the win, making 34 saves.

The New Jersey Titans come into this weekend with a 14-12-3 record, good enough for 31 points and fourth place in the East Division. However, they enter this weekend in a slump after being swept at home by the Elmira Aviators. Game one saw the Titans exchange goals in the first and second periods with the Aviators, with forwards Alex Papaspyropoulos and Jack Hillier scoring for a 2-2 score. The game went to overtime where Elmira forward Jett Otwell ended the game in the extra session for a 3-2 Aviators win. Game two saw New Jersey get 30 shots but struggle to score, with forward Logan Renkowski’s second period goal being the Titans’ lone tally in a 4-1 loss.

The last regular season saw Maryland go 4-3-1 against New Jersey in a very tight season series. In the playoffs, the Black Bears wrote a different tale as they swept the Titans in three straight games. The series was much closer than the sweep suggests, however, as Maryland narrowly outscored the Titans 11-6, with each game being decided by two or less goals.

Players to Watch:

Jack Hillier (F, NJT): The Titans have scored 102 goals this season, tied with the New Hampshire Mountain Kings for most in the East Division. Hillier has been a big reason why, with his 37 points the sixth most in the North American Hockey League. Hillier has recorded six goals and 19 points in his last 11 games.

Jaden Duprey (F, MYD): With injuries and call-ups causing Maryland to be shorthanded going into its weekend against the Generals, someone needed to step up to fill the void. With one goal and three assists in his first two games with the Black Bears, Duprey did just that. He was quick to the puck all weekend and created numerous chances with his offensive instinct.

Maryland and New Jersey will face off Friday, December 13th, and Saturday, December 14th, at Piney Orchard Ice Arena with puck drop scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET on both nights. All games can be streamed on NAHLTV.