JAMESTOWN, NY– Returning to Jamestown for the first time since January 25th, 2020, the Maryland Black Bears looked to shake off some bad luck on the times they traveled to southwestern New York. Maryland had only won once in ten visits to Jamestown– October 18th, 2019. With that in mind and a tight East Division race at the start, the Black Bears went to Jamestown and swept the Rebels in their weekend set.
FRIDAY OCTOBER 15th, 2021: BLACK BEARS (3) at Jamestown (2): The Black Bears sustained pressure offensively from the start, trying to get a quick lead. Even with two early power plays, they couldn’t connect to the back of the net. It wasn’t until a penalty of their own that they could convert, as pressure on the Rebels’ power play allowed Luke Van Why to spring Elliott Lareau, who found Laker Aldridge to make it 1-0 Maryland and gave the Black Bears their league-leading sixth shorthanded goal of the year. The Black Bears killed off a two-man disadvantage before a bouncing puck in front found John Musella’s stick to tie the game with 1:35 left in the first.
Maryland got things going early in the second, as they converted on an early power play with Aden Bruich gathering up a Conor Cole rebound make it 2-1. Maryland kept the pressure on Jamestown, controlling the offensive side of things for the most part in the second. With 5:46 left in the second, Jacob Brockman broke up an icing call to keep the Black Bears in possession, then was alone on the side the net– where Conor Cole found him for the 3-1 marker. Jamestown responded 1:02 later, as Mitch Lafay picked up a rebound in front and slide it under Michael Morelli to cut the Black Bears’ lead to one.
The third period was a neutral zone affair, yielding only seven total shots– Maryland 4, Jamestown 3– which played to the Black Bears strength, as they kept the lead for the win 3-2. Morelli made 17 saves to put his record to 6-1-2 on the season.
SATURDAY OCTOBER 16th, 2021: BLACK BEARS (2) at Jamestown (1) OT: The first period on Saturday kind of mirrored that from Friday, with Maryland carrying most of the offensive play. With 11 shots in the frame, the Black Bears wanted to try and set a tone early. It wasn’t until 1:59 left in the period that they broke through, as Branden Piku was streaking down the wing and put it over the shoulder of Chace Hale to make it 1-0 Black Bears.
It was a different story in the second, as the Rebels tilted the ice in their favor. It took 3:52 into the middle frame for them to tie the game, with Marcus Kivela Carlzon scored off the faceoff from a Black Bears’ icing to even the score. Jamestown kept the momentum going, throwing 11 shots of their own in that frame at Luca Di Pasquo, but he kept the game tied up through the second.
Di Pasquo made some key saves late in the third, as the Black Bears tried to cash in on chances, but Hale was equal to the task for the Rebels. While Maryland outchanced and outshot Jamestown, the game we pushed into overtime. The Black Bears kept the pressure going in the extra frame, leading to Aden Bruich netting the game winner off a shot from a dump-in pass from Sean Kilcullen that ricocheted off the boards, leading Bruich to one-time the puck past Hale for the OT winner. Di Pasquo made 20 saves for this third win of the season.
The Black Bears now have a six-game point streak going into next weekend, as they are at home against the Northeast Generals for the second time in three weekends.
Clutch And Crab Hockey 