Maryland vs. New Hampshire: This Weekend's Series Preview

The Maryland Black Bears concluded their recent four-game home stand on a high note, taking down the Johnstown Tomahawks 3-2 to go 3-1-0 over the last two weeks. The win brings Maryland to a 28-12-3 record with 59 points as they sit second in the East Division and one point behind the Rochester Jr. Americans for first place. The Black Bears look to keep the winning ways going as they kick off three consecutive weekends on the road, starting with the New Hampshire Mountain Kings. New Hampshire sits at sixth in the East Division with a record of 20-22-1 and 41 points.

Maryland is coming off a weekend split with the Johnstown Tomahawks, losing game one before winning game two. Game one got off to a rough start for the Black Bears, who saw themselves fall behind 3-0 after one period and only recorded five shots. However, Maryland woke up in the second period and outshot Johnstown 15-4, with one of those shots finding the back of the net. Defenseman Victor Mannebratt let a one-time slapshot go from the far circle to cut the deficit to 3-1. Forward Isac Nielsen scored early in the third period for Maryland on the power play to make it 3-2. Despite a great effort in the third, Maryland could not complete the comeback and fell 5-3, with Tanner Duncan scoring in the final minute of the game.

Despite the loss, the Black Bears were not fazed and took the strong play they ended the previous night with into game two. Maryland scored three goals in the second period to take a 3-0 lead. Duncan started the scoring with a tip-in goal from the slot to make it 1-0. The Black Bears offense followed this up by two goals separated by 35 seconds later in the period. Forward Luke Janus slammed the puck into the net from the near circle for a 2-0 score, followed by forward Travis Bryson’s first goal since being traded to Maryland, snapping the puck low glove side from the high slot to make it 3-0. Johnstown fought back and scored a goal with one second left in the middle frame, followed by an early third period goal to make it 3-2. The Black Bears would be able to hold on for a 3-2 win, with goaltender Ryan Denes making 18 saves in the win.

 

New Hampshire currently sits in the final East Division playoff spot as they look to clinch a playoff berth for the first time in their two-year history. However, the last five games have been shaky for the Mountain Kings with a 2-3-0 record, including a split this past weekend with the New Jersey Titans that saw each team win a game in blowout fashion. Game one was a dominant New Hampshire win. It started with a three-goal first period, where forward Georgios Stavrianeas, defenseman Thomas Quast, and forward Jaden Johnson scored in the first 11 minutes to make it 3-0. New Jersey got a goal back late in the first to make it 3-1, but the Mountain Kings had an equally strong second period. Stavrianeas scored his second goal of the game and was followed in the goal column by defensemen Damon Bossie and Tommy McDonough. Though New Jersey was able to get a goal back, it was 6-2 through two periods. Forward Oli Genest capped off the scoring with a late third period goal for a 7-2 win. Mountain Kings goalie Sam Caufield made 32 saves. Game two was the opposite result, because, despite a second period goal from forward Nicholas Reif, New Hampshire would go on to allow 54 shots in a 6-1 loss.

Maryland has had New Hampshire’s number so far this season, accumulating a 3-1-0 record against them. It has been a high-scoring season series so far, with the Black Bears holding the edge by outscoring the Mountain Kings 19-16 while scoring four or more goals in every game. The most recent weekend series was a January home sweep for Maryland who won scores of 7-5 and 4-3.

Players to Watch: 

Damon Bossie (D, NWH): Bossie is coming off a strong series against New Jersey where he recorded a goal and two assists. Along with strong play in his own zone, Bossie has shown to make an impact at both ends of the ice, with his 29 points the fourth most on the team.

Travis Bryson (F, MYD): Bryson was acquired from Oklahoma last week and made an instant impact on his new team. In his first series for Maryland, he recorded a goal and three assists against Johnstown. His goal this weekend was the game-winning goal in the Black Bears’ 3-2 win over the Tomahawks. Dating back to his time with the Oklahoma Warriors, Bryson is on a four-game point streak with one goal and five assists for six points in that span.

Maryland and New Hampshire face off on Friday, February 14th, at 7:30 p.m. ET, and Saturday, February 15th, at 4:00 p.m. ET. All games can be streamed on NAHLTV.