DANBURY, CT– After clinching a bye-weekend for the play-in round, the Maryland Black Bears looked to inch closer to winning the East Division regular season title. However, the Danbury Jr. Hat Tricks had other plans on Friday, as they hoped all over the Black Bears. Maryland responded big on Saturday to earn a split on the weekend.
FRIDAY MARCH 29th, 2024: BLACK BEARS (2) at Danbury (7): In what was a feeling out period in the afternoon tilt, the Black Bears looked to get a bit of an offensive advantage to start, but couldn’t find the back of the net despite Dylan Gordon and Sam Stitz hitting the post on two attempts. Danbury would get on the board first with Alexios Georgaklis throwing the puck in front from behind the net and banking it off Owen Lepak to make it 1-0. It only took 1:25 for Danbury to extend the lead with Logan Nickerson wristing a shot that alluded Lepak to make it 2-0 for the home team. Pleasantries were exchanged with Keaton Lipsett and Danbury’s Ameen Ghosheh getting into a scuffle with both receiving five minute majors for their troubles. Maryland had a chance at a power play, but couldn’t convert, while Danbury ended the period with a two-man advantage that carried over to the second period.
On the carryover, Wyatt Stefan scored through traffic on the two-man advantage to make it 3-0 for Danbury. Maryland looked to have a power play goal of their own, but it was waved off as the net was off its moorings behind Lukas Fursten and the Black Bears were left still looking for their first tally. That would come later in the period with Dylan Gordon staying hot offensively with his sixth goal of the season ending a great passing play from Stitz and Jesse Horacek to get Maryland on the board. Less than two minutes later, the Black Bears struck again with Stitz being the recipient of a Gordon pass to make it a one-goal game. Danbury would regain their two-goal lead with Stefan netting his second of the game getting just out of the reach of Lepak to make it 4-2. After a video review showed no goal for Maryland, Stefan finished his hat trick with a wrister that hit the twine to make it 5-2.
While Maryland had some power play chances in the third period, it was Danbury that would capitalize shorthanded with Nickerson notching his second of the game to make it 6-2. Danbury would make it 7-2 with Cam Charron putting a shot from the point through traffic to find the back of the net. Maryland had issues with discipline, leading to some penalty kills that the Black Bears had to face and succeeded. There was not enough time to get five goals on the board and Maryland fell 7-2.
SATURDAY MARCH 30th, 2024: BLACK BEARS (7) at Danbury (1): The start of Saturday’s tilt looked like a continuation of Friday’s with Josh Erickson scoring 42 seconds into the game the slide right under the pad of Owen Lepak to give Danbury the early lead. Frustration boiled over for Maryland as a line-brawl broke out between the two squads resulting in multiple fighting majors. That lit the fire under Maryland, as four-on-four play commenced after a short Black Bears power play and Trayce Johnson netted his sixth of the season dropping down into the play and tipping in a Riley Ruh pass to even it up at one goal apiece. Tyler Stern would make it 2-1 finding the puck down low from a feed by Cal Hutson and put it home to give Maryland the lead for the first time on the weekend.
Early in the second, the goaltenders were front and center with Lepak making a big save after Lukas Fursten made one for Danbury. However, Maryland would add to their lead with Luke Rubin coming to the open side and getting a great pass from Ruh to make it 3-1 Maryland. Past the halfway point, Jesse Horacek made it 4-1 after redirecting a Dylan Gordon shot off a Sam Stitz’s post shot for Horacek’s 19th of the season. While Maryland did get a power play later in the period, the frame would end with Maryland up 4-1.
Maryland killed off an early penalty in the third, mostly in part to Owen Lepak’s sprawling saves to keep it a three-goal game. After that kill, Riley Ruh scored an amazing goal, cutting through the defense and scoring while he was on the ice for his 14th to make it a 5-1 game. After the media timeout and while on four-on-four, Ruh got his second of the game with a redirect of a Cal Hutson shot to make it 6-1. Only 32 seconds later, Luke Amell tallied his seventh of the year, picking up a loose puck in the slot to make it 7-1 for Maryland. While Maryland had a power play late, they would not add to their total, gaining a split for the weekend with a 7-1 win and earning their 40th win on the season.
The Black Bears final regular season weekend is at Piney Orchard on Friday and Saturday with Billet Appreciation Night and Fan Appreciation Night next weekend. Get your tickets now at Tickets.MarylandBlackBears.com for the weekend coming up.
Write up courtesy of Scott Wasilewski
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