ODENTON, MD– After a road sweep last weekend, the Maryland Black Bears looked to do it again on home ice, as they welcomed the New Jersey Titans to Piney Orchard for the last time this regular season. After a slower than normal start and bad bounces, the Black Bears were able to overcome and sweep New Jersey on the weekend.
FRIDAY JANUARY 26th, 2024: BLACK BEARS (4) vs. New Jersey (2): Things did not go as planned early for Maryland, as New Jersey struck 1:44 into the game with Kristofers Krumins notching his ninth of the year, picking a corner over Colin Ronan’s shoulder to make it 1-0 early. Minutes later, New Jersey took advantage of their first power play with Dominik Bartecko scoring from the slot to make it 2-0. After the media timeout, the Black Bears were able to reset and with 3:35 remaining, Dimitry Kebreau notched his 12th of the year with a loft shot off his own rebound to get the Black Bears to within one. That goal for Kebreau tied Luke Mountain for Black Bears all-time goal mark.
Maryland came out buzzing in the second, resulting in Sam Stitz ripping a wrister past Dylan Krick from the right circle for his third of the year and tied the game up for the Black Bears. A penalty filled frame saw both sides swap power plays, but both sides had their penalty kills down pat with to keep those chances at bay and to keep the score knotted at two after 40 minutes.
A back and forth battle in the last period has both sides get their chances, but it wasn’t until Maryland got a power play late with 5:07 remaining when a great passing play by Maryland down low ended with Luke Janus netting his eighth of the season from Stitz and newcomer David Utkin. Janus would get his second goal of the night on a wraparound into the open net to make it a 4-2 victory to open the weekend up strong.
SATURDAY JANUARY 27th, 2024: BLACK BEARS (6) vs. New Jersey (3): On Old Bay night, the Black Bears got off to a quick start, attacking the New Jersey net, but being held off the scoresheet by Zak Brice. At the other end, Owen Lepak came up clutch for Maryland on tough shots and situations. New Jersey, however, would open the scoring again at the end of their first power play with Kristofers Krumins getting the last touch on the puck that bounced around the Maryland crease and got behind Lepak. While the Black Bears had their chances, they couldn’t find an equalizer, but did get into penalty trouble that bled over into the second.
During the carry-over penalties, New Jersey got ahead 2-0 with Dominik Bartecko one-timing a shot at the end of a five-on-three and making it almost a repeat of the night before. The Black Bears responded 42 seconds later with David Utkin picking up his own rebound and ripping it to the blocker side of Brice for his first goal in the NAHL. Only 2:06 after that, Jeremi Tremblay snapped out of a goalless drought by popping a shot over Brice through a mass of humanity to tie the game up at 2. Then, just 1:09 later, Utkin would notch his second with a swinging bunt of a rebound that was just under the crossbar to give Maryland the lead 3-2. However, the momentum got halted late in the period with Jack Hillier finishing a 2-on-0 break to tie the game up at 3 heading into the intermission.
With the sellout crowd ready to celebrate a victory, the Black Bears fed off of them and got the go-ahead goal early with Luke Janus banking a shot off a New Jersey defender’s shin pads and into the net to make it 4-3. New Jersey then lost the plot of the game with five straight penalties. Janus made them pay for one of the penalties, wristing one at the bottom of the slot to make it 5-3. Then 1:08 later, Riley Ruh hammered home a Ben Tauscher pass to make it 6-3. The Black Bears held off mostly shorthanded attacks from New Jersey to win their second straight Old Bay game by a score of 6-3.
The Black Bears continue on at home next weekend against the Northeast Generals. Tickets are on sale at Tickets.MarylandBlackBears.com or at the Piney Orchard Ice Arena box office on game day.
Clutch And Crab Hockey 