Maryland and Rochester Battle in East Division Final
NAHL Maryland Black Bears

Maryland and Rochester Battle in East Division Final

Published on April 29, 2026 under North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Maryland Black Bears News Release


After a successful and largely dominant opening-round sweep against the Danbury Hat Tricks, the Maryland Black Bears, the East Division's top seed, eye the Rochester Jr. Americans in the East Division Final. The Jr. Americans finished as the second seed in the East Division in the regular season, with a record of 37-21-1 and 75 points. This is the first postseason meeting between these two franchises, and the winner of this best-of-five series will advance to Blaine, Minnesota, to represent the East Division in the Robertson Cup Semi-Final.

Semi-Final Overview:

The Maryland Black Bears made a statement in their East Division semi-final match-up against the sixth-seeded Danbury Hat Tricks. Their 19 goals are fourth most amongst all playoff teams, and most by a team that has only played three games. Maryland's +12 is the best goal differential in the Robertson Cup playoffs. The first two games were all Black Bears, all the time. Game one saw Maryland score two goals in all three periods in a 6-2 win. Forward Harrison Smith recorded four points (one goal, three assists) and was aided by two three-point scorers in forwards Tanner Duncan and Kristofers Krumins, each scoring one goal and two assists. In game two, the Black Bears scored three times in the first period and never looked back, winning by the score of 8-1. Seven different skaters recorded multi-point games, and Ryan Denes made 15 saves. The margin of victory (seven) tied a franchise record for the largest margin of victory in a game, last achieved in a 9-2 win over the Hat Tricks in the regular season on November 28th, 2025. Game three was the lone close affair, a back-and-forth contest decided by a Ryan Franks goal in the third period for a 5-4 win, completing the sweep. Duncan and Smith both led the team with ten points in the three-game series, while Ryan Franks led the team in goal scoring with four goals. Seven skaters had a point-per-game average or higher, and three players (Smith, Duncan, Franks) averaged more than two points per game. Ten different players found the back of the net for the Black Bears in this series. Maryland had the most effective power play thus far in the playoffs, scoring on nine of 16 chances.

The Rochester Jr. Americans also received a bye through the play-in round, meeting the fourth-seeded Northeast Generals in the East Division Semi-Final. It was a close five-game series, with the Jr. Americans scoring 16 goals and allowing 13 throughout the series. Rochester won game one in dramatic fashion, with defenseman Logan Keup scoring an overtime game-winning goal to secure a 4-3 win. Goaltender Florian Wade took over game two, making 30 saves in a 3-0 shutout win. Northeast stayed alive in game three with a 2-1 win, extending the series to a fourth game. In game four, the Jr. Americans came back from a 3-1 deficit in the third period to tie the score at 3-3. However, a late power play goal by the Generals lifted Northeast to a 4-3 win, forcing a game five. Rochester took a 3-1 lead in the second period in game five before squandering it by the end of the second frame with the score tied 3-3. Forward Colin Dustin gave the Jr. Americans a 4-3 lead midway through the third period before the Generals tied the game with just 3:25 to tie the game at 4-4, forcing overtime. There, it was Dustin scoring his second goal of the game, earning Rochester a 5-4 win and the team's second consecutive trip to the East Division Final. The Jr. Americans went 3-0-0 at home, outscoring Northeast 12-10. On the road, Rochester went 0-2-0 and was outscored 6-4. Their power play struggled this series, only converting on two of 19 opportunities.

In Between the Pipes:

Ryan Denes followed up a record-setting regular season, setting the single-season franchise records for wins (27) and shutouts (7) with a strong postseason performance. He went 3-0-0 with a 2.33 goals against average and a .889 save percentage, only allowing seven goals in the three-game series. Denes thrived at Piney Orchard Ice Arena, recording a combined .917 save percentage in the first two games at home, and made numerous key stops to set the tone of the series.

Florian Wade was a force for the Jr. Americans in their opening series against the Generals, with a 3-2-0 record, a 2.43 goals against average, a .928 save percentage, and one shutout. He excelled at home, stopping 110 of 117 shots for a .940 save percentage. In the regular season, Wade had a record of 18-7-1, a 2.396 goals against average, a .914. save percentage, and two shutouts.

Season Series:

Maryland took four of six games against Rochester during the regular season. The two teams opened the season against each other in Rochester, with the Jr. Americans winning the first game 3-1 while the Black Bears took game two 2-1. They met again in early January at Piney Orchard Ice Arena and exchanged blowout wins, with Rochester winning 6-2 on night one and Maryland winning 7-3 on night two. The last two meetings also came at Piney Orchard Ice Arena after the two teams locked up byes through the play-in round in late March, with the Black Bears winning both games by scores of 3-0 and 4-1.

Players to Watch:

Kristofers Krumins (F, MYD): Krumins is operating on a new level since being traded to the Black Bears from the New Jersey Titans a few months ago. After recording 14 points in 37 games for New Jersey, Krumins had eight points in 12 regular season games for Maryland. He was one of seven Black Bears skaters to record over a point per game average against Danbury in the playoffs, recording two goals and five points in three games.

Adam Gionta (F, ROC): Gionta was the backbone of this Rochester offense in the postseason. He was the only player to get over a point a game average, putting up eight points in five games. His three-point performance in game five helped the Jr. Americans advance to the East Division Final. In the regular season, Gionta recorded 42 points in 44 games.

Game one of this best-of-five series will take place on Friday, May 1st, at Piney Orchard Ice Arena. Puck drop is set for 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 April 29, 2026


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