Black Bears Return to Defend the Den against Aviators
NAHL Maryland Black Bears

Black Bears Return to Defend the Den against Aviators

Published on September 17, 2025 under North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Maryland Black Bears News Release


The Maryland Black Bears kicked off the 2025-26 season with an exciting, back-and-forth series with the reigning East Division Champions, the Rochester Jr. Americans, that saw both teams secure a low-scoring win. It was a good test for Maryland, who started its season on the road for the first time in franchise history. Now the Black Bears return home for one last tune-up before the NAHL Showcase in Blaine, Minnesota, with a series against the Elmira Aviators.

The Black Bears start the season 1-1-0 in a series with the Jr. Americans. Game one was a goaltending duel between Maryland's Dom Gatto and Rochester's Jensen Carlstrom, with both goaltenders posting a save percentage higher than .930. Jr. Americans' forward Ryan Shaw got the scoring started by converting on a two-on-none chance for a 1-0 Rochester lead. The Black Bears would tie the game with a rebound goal from forward Mate Tardi, who fired a rebound home from the far circle to make the score 1-1. The Jr. Americans then scored midway through the third with a goal from defenseman Murray Kanerva to regain the lead 2-1. In the game's final minutes, Shaw recorded his second goal of the game on a drive to the net, tucking the puck around Gatto's pads for a 3-1 Rochester win.

Game two would start off in favor of Maryland when defenseman Dominik Boltnar's shot from the point found its way past Carlstrom and in for a 1-0 lead. The Black Bears extended their lead in the second period when forward Jaden Sikura let a wrist shot go from the right circle that went in and out of the top corner so quickly, it took a second for the officials to deem it a goal. After a brief review, the goal was confirmed, and it was 2-0 Black Bears. Rochester forward Colin Dustin got a goal back in the third period, where Jr. Americans made it 2-1. However, they failed to find a second goal, and Maryland held on for a 2-1 win. Black Bears' goaltender Ryan Denes made 21 saves in Maryland's first victory of the season.

The Elmira Aviators are coming off a rough debut season in the NAHL's East Division, going 21-34-4 for 46 points and finishing ninth in the division. The team's 157 goals for was the lowest in the East Division, while their 228 goals against were the second-highest total in the division. The Aviators are eager to turn a new page and take a step forward this season, and game one of the 2025-26 campaign helped to do that with a 4-3 win over the New Jersey Titans. Forward Deklyn Campbell and Matt Maglio struck for Elmira in the first period for a 2-0 lead. The second period would yield similar success with forwards Luke Sakala and Nico-Patrick Pohjola scoring to make the score 4-0. Titans' forward Owen Leahy scored before the end of the second period to make it 4-1, setting up an interesting third period that saw New Jersey forwards Kristofers Krumins and Ryder O'Neil score to cut the deficit to 4-3. Despite the late push, the Aviators held on for a 4-3 win. Elmira goaltender Vladimir Pechenin made 45 saves in the win. The next game would not be so kind to the Aviators as they saw New Jersey score the first three goals of the game. Forward Jack Kohlmann got Elmira on the board in the second period to make it 3-1 before a late second period goal by the Titans made it 4-1 after two periods. Kohlmann scored his second goal of the game early in the third to make it 4-2, but New Jersey would erupt to score the next five goals to make the final score. Aviators' goaltender Ty Levy made 33 saves in the loss.

This will be the first meeting between these two teams this season. Last season, Maryland went 5-1-0 against the Aviators, outscoring them 25-11. This includes two shutout victories with one coming at Piney Orchard on Feb. 1st, 2025, by the score of 4-0, and another coming later that month in Elmira on Feb. 21st, by the score of 2-0. The Black Bears went 2-0 against the Aviators at home with 7-3 and 4-0 wins in early February. Maryland has an accumulative record of 4-2-0 in its last three opening home series.

Players to Watch:

Owen Drury (F, MYD): Drury enters his first home series as captain, ready to make an impact. Despite not recording a point, Drury was noticeable in Rochester, generating chances in the offensive zone and sticking up for his teammates. In four games against Elmira last year, Drury recorded three assists.

Jack Kohlmann (F, Elmira): Kohlmann had a stellar opening weekend, recording two goals and two assists. After registering eight points in 40 games last season, this is a big step in the right direction for his development as he looks to continue to drive the Aviators' offense. Last season, Kolhmann scored one goal in five games against Maryland.

These two teams will face off on Friday, September 19th, and Saturday, September 20th, at Piney Orchard Ice Arena with puck drop times for both nights at 7:00 p.m. ET. All games can be streamed on NATV.

Check out the Maryland Black Bears Statistics

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North American Hockey League Stories from September 17, 2025


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