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NAHL Maryland Black Bears

Maryland Takes on Elmira for First Time in Franchise History

October 30, 2024 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Maryland Black Bears News Release


After a hard-fought series split with New Hampshire, the Maryland Black Bears look to conclude its road stint with success as they travel to New York to play against the Elmira Aviators. This will be the first meeting between these two franchises as Elmira continues its inaugural season.

Maryland's offense came to play this past weekend, scoring eight goals in two games against the New Hampshire Mountain Kings. In game one, forward Josh Frenette led the way for Maryland in a 4-2 victory over New Hampshire, scoring two goals. Forward Luke Rubin recorded two assists as forwards Tyler Stern and Trey Hinton also cashed in for goals against the Mountain Kings. Black Bears' goaltender Ryan Denes made 20 saves in his second win with Maryland. Game two was an offensive showcase for each team. Maryland got goals from defenseman Evan Sofikitis and Liam Doherty, along with a goal from forward Isac Nielsen to make the score 3-3 after two periods. However, the Mountain Kings were able to score three straight goals in the span of 3:26 in the third period to take a 6-3 lead. Nielsen responded late in the third with his second goal of the game, but it was not enough as the Black Bears fell 6-4.

Elmira started off the season with a bang, going 5-2-0 in its first seven games. However, as the calendar turned to October, the Aviators began to trend in the wrong direction, going 2-4-2 in its last eight contests. Elmira's offense has been good enough to hang with the rest of the division with 49 goals, the fifth-best in the East Division. Elmira has scored three or more goals in nine of the team's 15 games this season. The Aviators are led by a familiar name, forward Andrew DellaDonna. DellaDonna played 120 with the Northeast Generals over the past three seasons before he was traded to Elmira a few weeks into the current season. In those 120 games, DellaDonna produced 22 goals, 44 assists, and 66 points. He has eight points in eight games with the Aviators.

Players to Watch:

Ben Costantino (D, ELM): Costantino is thriving in his first season with Elmira, with his 13 points the second most on the team behind DellaDonna. In his last four games, Costantino has two goals and two assists.

Isac Nielsen (F, MYD): Nielsen is coming off a strong series against New Hampshire, recording three points in two games for Maryland. He has also thrived away from home, recording points in his last three road games. In this stretch, Nielsen has an impressive four goals and five points.

Maryland and Elmira will face off on Friday, November 1st, and Saturday, November 2nd with puck drop times for both nights set for 7:00 p.m. ET at LECOM Event Center.

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