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NAHL Maryland Black Bears

Black Bears Head North to Face the Mountain Kings

October 23, 2024 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Maryland Black Bears News Release


The Maryland Black Bears are set to begin a four-game road trip, sporting an 8-5-0 record, and are second place in the East Division. To start their climb back to the top of the division, they'll have to go through the New Hampshire Mountain Kings who are 4-8-1 this season and last in the East Division. This will be the first time this season that these two teams face off.

Maryland is looking to bounce back after dropping two hard-fought contests at home against the Maine Nordiques. On night one, Maryland fell behind 2-0 and couldn't climb back despite a strong final two periods and a goal from forward Kieran Litterick, losing the first game of the weekend 4-1. Game two was a well-played hockey game as the two top teams in the East Division as the players gave it their all. However, despite a goal from forward Luke Janus and 32 saves from goaltender Benji Motew, the Black Bears couldn't grab two points and lost 2-1.

Maryland got the better of New Hampshire last regular season, going 7-1-0 against the Mountain Kings in its inaugural year while outscoring them 30-16. Despite the lopsided goal totals, the Black Bears and Mountain Kings played each other close with four of the eight contests being decided by one goal, including one game that required overtime. Maryland was a perfect 4-0-0 at home against New Hampshire and 3-1-0 at Tri-Town Ice Arena.

New Hampshire is looking to bounce back from a rough inaugural season that saw the team go 25-35-5 finishing eighth in the East Division and missing the playoffs. This season did not start the way the Mountain Kings wanted as they accumulated a 1-6-0 start. But once the calendar turned to October, the fortunes of New Hampshire began to change, gaining points in four of its next six games going 3-2-1. The Mountain Kings are coming off a series split with the Northeast Generals, winning game one 5-1 before losing game two 5-3. Oli Genest is leading New Hampshire in points heading into its weekend set with Maryland, recording a team-leading nine goals and 15 points in 13 games.

Players to Watch:

Kim Hilmersson (F, NWH): Hilmersson is in the midst of his third season in the NAHL, spending his first season in 2022-23 in Maine before being traded to New Hampshire early last season. He's currently off to the hottest start of his career, recording seven goals and 12 points in 12 games. Hilmersson has six points in his last five games but is currently on a two-game point drought.

Benji Motew (G, MYD): Motew has impressed since making his first start for Maryland, recording 25 or more saves in eight of his ten starts. His two shutouts are tied for most in the NAHL and his .9396 save percentage is eighth best in the league. He has helped hold his opponents to two goals or fewer in eight of his ten starts.

Maryland and New Hampshire face off on Friday, October 25th, at 7:30 p.m. ET and Saturday, October 26th, at 4:00 p.m. ET at Tri-Town Ice Arena. All games can be streamed on NAHLTV.

Check out the Maryland Black Bears Statistics

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North American Hockey League Stories from October 23, 2024


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