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Maryland Black Bears

Lone Star Tops Maryland for Robertson Cup

May 22, 2024 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Maryland Black Bears News Release


For the first time in franchise history, the Maryland Black Bears took the ice at Fogerty Arena in a winner-take-all matchup for the Robertson Cup. Their opponent was the South Division Champions in the Lone Star Brahmas. For Lone Star, this was their seventh appearance in the Robertson Cup Championship game, winning their previous six. The Brahmas' last appearance in this game was in 2017, where they beat the then Aston Rebels (now Philadelphia Rebels) 3-0. The Black Bears gave a fantastic effort, but in the end, it was Lone Star taking home the Robertson Cup with a 4-2 win over Maryland.

The Brahmas got the scoring started in the first period when defenseman Bryce Ingles took the puck into the zone on a two-on-one and tossed the puck to the far side to forward Justin Kerr, who tapped the puck into the empty net to make it 1-0. Maryland got into penalty trouble to start the second period, where forward Connor Bergeron tipped a puck past Maryland goaltender Owen Lepak on the far side and in for a 2-0 lead on the powerplay. The Black Bears were able to respond with a powerplay goal of their own when forward and captain Dimitry Kebreau tapped a bouncing puck in the crease past Lone Star goalie Jack Wieneke to cut the lead to 2-1 heading into the second intermission.

The Brahmas regained a two goal lead when forward Saxton Tess batted a rebound out of midair on the near side of the net to make it 3-1. But Maryland did not go quietly into the night, as with 3:44 to go in the game, defenseman Dylan Gordon put the puck on goal and Luke Janus jammed the rebound passed Wieneke to make it 3-2. Despite a great effort by the Black Bears in the final minutes, they were unable to tie the game, and Lone Star forward Brock James capped off the scoring with an empty net goal to make it 4-2, a score that would hold up to be the final. Wieneke made 40 saves for the Brahmas while Lepak made 23 for the Black Bears. After the game, it was announced that forward Dimitry Kebreau and defenseman Trayce Johnson made the NAHL All-Tournament team.

After the game, Maryland faithful saluted their team off the ice as the most successful season in franchise history came to a close. The Maryland Black Bears would like to thank all the players, staff, and fans for an amazing season. It meant the world to us to experience this amazing journey with each and every one of you. Thank you all for following the team, and we all look forward to defending the den with you all in September!

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