After a dramatic overtime win against the Johnstown Tomahawks, the Maryland Black Bears have started the season a perfect 4-0-0. Their next challenge will take place in Blaine, Minnesota, where Maryland won the Robertson Cup for the first time in franchise history. The North American Hockey League Showcase is an event where the entire league comes together for the only portion of the regular season where teams play other teams outside of their division. It will take place at the Blaine Super Rink, roughly eight minutes from Fogerty Ice Arena, where Brady Anes scored his iconic cup-winning goal to secure Maryland’s first championship. This year, the Black Bears will take on the Austin Bruins, Janesville Jets, and El Paso Rhinos starting on Wednesday, September 23rd.
Maryland’s dominance over the Johnstown Tomahawks continued this past weekend in sweeping fashion, recording 8-1 and 3-2 wins over their East Division foe to win their tenth consecutive game against them. A four-goal first period sparked night one’s blowout win, led by a four-point night from newly named captain Brady Anes, who had a goal and three assists. Defenseman Zhenya Miles also had a big night, recording a goal and two assists, as did defenseman Vincent Glos, who scored his first two goals as a member of the Black Bears. Cole Werthman shined in net, making 32 saves. Night two was a fight-filled, nail-biting contest that saw Maryland make a furious late third period comeback. Johnstown held a 2-0 lead into the second half of the third period when forward Ajay Rai got the Black Bears on the board with 6:39 to go. Glos would tie the game at 2-2 with just 2:01 left in regulation to force overtime. In overtime, Rai scored his second goal of the game, sliding his own rebound into the net for a 3-2 win. Michael Iliff made 37 saves for his second win of the season.
Maryland’s first opponent on Wednesday will be the Austin Bruins, who started off the season 2-0-0 by sweeping the Watertown Shamrocks and sit at second place in the Central Division. They’re led offensively by forward Kyle Sorenson, who has two goals and four points in two games. The Bruins’ netminder is Dilans Birkans, who has a save percentage of .914 and a goals-against average of 2.88 through two games. Birkans played two games last season for the Maryland Black Bears before spending the duration of the season with the Ogden Mustangs of the National Collegiate Development Conference. Maryland last played Austin in May of 2023 in the Robertson Cup semifinal, with the Bruins defeating the Black Bears two games to one in the best-of-three series. Austin would go on to lose the Robertson Cup Final to the Oklahoma Warriors 4-3.
Thursday will see Maryland take on the Midwest Division’s Janesville Jets. The Jets sit at fourth in their division with a 2-1-0 record, sweeping the Springfield Jr. Blues in two straight games before losing 8-2 to the Fairbanks Ice Dogs in their last game. Janesville, as of this writing, has a three-way tie for first on the team in points between forwards Hans Hedlund, Declan Jason, and Sean Truby, all of whom have one goal, three assists, and four points. Nathan Mach has started all three games so far for the Jets and sports a .860 save percentage, a 2.40 goals-against average, and one shutout. Maryland and Janesville have met twice before at the NAHL showcase, with the Black Bears winning 4-1 in 2019 and the Jets winning 3-2 in 2022.
On Friday afternoon, Maryland will conclude its showcase against the El Paso Rhinos of the South Division. The Rhinos sit at eighth in the division with a 0-2-2 record, with their seven goals for the second fewest in the nine-team division. Defenseman Alexi Gregiore currently leads the team in points with four, all of which are assists. Luke Brassil and Logan Hughes have split time in between the pipes, with each goaltender having a 0-1-1 record. Brassil has a save percentage of .914 and a goals-against average of 2.90, while Hughes has a save percentage of .878 and a goals-against average of 2.52. Maryland has played El Paso at the showcase twice, with the Black Bears coming out on top in 2022 by the score of 5-1 and in 2024 by the score of 4-3.
Maryland Players to Watch:
Brady Anes (F): The tenth captain in franchise history is off to a tremendous start to the 2026-2027 season, leading the team in points with seven, and tied with defenseman Zhenya Miles and forward Tanner Terranova for the team lead in assists with five. He isn’t afraid to get into the dirty areas to score goals and has moved the puck extremely well, showcasing a high hockey IQ with his decision-making.
Vincent Glos (D): Last season, Glos played in 27 regular season games and 10 playoff games, putting up a solid 10 points combined in those 37 games, all assists. This season, in just two games, Glos has unlocked his goal-scoring touch. With three goals in two games, he has displayed a lethal wrist shot and slap shot that are giving goaltenders trouble this season. Glos’s skating has taken a big step in the right direction, and he has been using it to enter the offensive zone himself to generate scoring chances.
Cole Werthman/Michael Iliff (G): When both goaltenders start the season exceptionally well, it’s hard to just pick one. The tandem of Werthman and Iliff has been dominant for Maryland, with both players playing key roles in the two wins they each started this season. Werthman starts the season off with a .966 save percentage and a goals-against average of 1.00, while Iliff has a .971 save percentage, a goals-against average of 0.98, and one shutout. Both have shown excellent positioning, reflexes, puck tracking, and rebound control.
The Black Bears will take on the Austin Bruins on Wednesday, September 23rd, at 8:15 p.m. ET, the Janesville Jets on Thursday, September 24th, at 6:45 p.m. ET, and the El Paso Rhinos on Friday, September 25th, at 2:00 p.m. ET. All games will take place at the Blaine Super Rink in Blaine, Minnesota. All games can be streamed on NATV.