After a 5-1 win over Philadelphia the night prior, the Maryland Black Bears looked to complete a weekend sweep of the Rebels as the Black Bears hoisted their Robertson Cup Championship banner at Piney Orchard Ice Arena for their home opener. And thanks to a strong defensive effort, including 30 saves from Black Bears’ goaltender Michael Iliff, Maryland was able to silence Philadelphia with a 3-0 win.

After a scoreless first period, Black Bears’ forward Noi Jonasson lit the lamp in the second period to make the score 1-0. Defenseman Dominick Mack slipped the puck to the slot to Jonasson, who was initially denied by Rebels’ goaltender Mathieu Raymond, but Jonasson got the rebound and put the puck in the top left corner. The score remained 1-0 until midway through the third period, when, on the power play, defenseman Juuso Rantala tossed the puck on goal, which was tipped by forward Joseph Gasperko for a 2-0 lead. Forward Brayden Wade iced the game with an empty-net goal in the last minute of the game for a 3-0 final. Iliff made countless big saves throughout the game, earning Maryland’s first shutout win of the season. Raymond made 24 saves in the loss.

The Black Bears take the ice on Friday, September 18th, at Piney Orchard Ice Arena for a weekend series with a Johnstown Tomahawks, with puck drop set for 7:00 p.m. ET. All games can be streamed on NATV.