HOOKSETT, NH– In their only trip to the Granite State this season, the Maryland Black Bears looked to extend their winning ways against the Mountain Kings. The Black Bears took care of business in New Hampshire, getting four points from the weekend to control the East Division after the weekend with a sweep.
FRIDAY NOVEMBER 21st, 2025: BLACK BEARS (7) at New Hampshire (1): The Black Bears wasted no time getting started, as Tanner Duncan got his 13th of the season off a centering feed from Harrison Smith to make it 1-0 Maryland only 34 seconds into the game. New Hampshire kept their pressure up, creating some chances, but Ryan Denes made key saves to keep the game at 1-0. Maryland got into some penalty trouble in the middle part of the frame, but the penalty kill was able to hold New Hampshire at bay. Maryland had a few power play chances of their own in the frame, but could not connect. The Black Bears headed into the intermission up 1-0.
The offense for Maryland got it going in the second frame. After killing off an early penalty, Harrison Smith was slashed on a breakaway, leading to a penalty shot. Smith made no mistake to make it 2-0. After a gaggle of penalties for both sides, Anthony Pellitteri went end-to-end, fighting off the forechecking to net his second of the year to make it 3-0. Maryland went to the power play a minute later, leading to Victor Mannebratt hammering home a one-timer for a 4-0 Black Bears lead. One hiccup for the Black Bears, as New Hampshire’s Ben Dias hammered a shot home from the slot to make it 4-1. Only 1:31 later, Maryland restored the four-goal lead with a solid forecheck leading to Owen Drury finding Sokrat Markarian for a one-timer to make it 5-1 on Markarian’s second of the year.
Things cooled down just for a little bit in the third, as both sides only had one penalty each by the midway point. Maryland was able to connect on their power play, as Owen Drury was able to put one home on a scramble in front of the net for his fifth of the year. Thanks to a solid forechecking effort in the neutral zone, the Black Bears were able to move the puck to Trey Hinton who ripped one home from top of the left circle to make it 7-1. Then tempers boiled over with Cole Peters and Alex Gelhar of New Hampshire getting into it, but that’s where it ended for the night, as the Black Bears took the win 7-1 with Denes making 25 saves in the winning effort.
SATURDAY NOVEMBER 22nd, 2025: BLACK BEARS (6) at New Hampshire (2): Penalties were an issue off the opening faceoff, with Maryland being on the penalty kill early. After the Black Bears killed it off, Brady Anes opened the scoring with a shot from the top of the circle on a delayed call to make it 1-0 early. Both sides had their share of penalties in the opening frame, but nothing to show from the penalties. New Hampshire tied the game up with Ben Dias getting a stick on a shot from the half-wall for his second of the weekend. Moments later, Gavin Wilkie put New Hampshire up 2-1 on a 2-on-1 break. Maryland’s offense pressed the New Hampshire net and Anthony Pellitteri broke through to tie the game with a snipe from the right side.
The offense stepped it up in the second frame, first with Victor Mannebratt regaining the lead for Maryland, dropping down from the point to tap in the 3-2 marker. Maryland kept pressing and broke through again with Jonathan Lanza creeping down from the point and potting home a rebound to make it 4-2 Maryland. Moments later, Harrison Smith made it 5-2 with a backhand tap-in from the side of the net to add to his league-leading point total. Things got frantic at the end of the frame with Sokrat Markarian and New Hampshire Ben Tauscher getting into it at the end of the frame to see how tensions boiled over. Maryland would go into the locker room up 5-2.
The third period was very tame in comparison to the other frames. The only scoring happened with Harrison Smith netted his second goal after a big shift pinning the puck against the wall until the personnel got out there and converted to make it 6-2. Things got dicey late in the game with many Black Bears being taken down by New Hampshire, with an intent to injure penalty given out late in the frame. At the end of it, the five unanswered goals for the Black Bears gave them four points for the weekend. Dom Gatto made 21 saves in the win.
The Black Bears are back in Odenton next weekend for Military Appreciation Weekend against the Danbury Jr. Hat Tricks. Tickets are available at Tickets.MarylandBlackBears.com and the Piney Orchard Box Office.
Clutch And Crab Hockey 