Sports stats



NAHL Maryland Black Bears

Maryland Welcomes Danbury in Week Two Clash

September 18, 2024 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Maryland Black Bears News Release


After scoring a split decision against the Maine Nordiques on opening weekend, the Maryland Black Bears are back in action on Friday, September 20th, when the Danbury Hat Tricks come to Piney Orchard Ice Arena. The Black Bears and Hat Tricks both enter Friday's contest with a 1-1-0 record. These two teams played each other eight times last season, with the Maryland Black Bears winning the season series 6-1-1 outscoring Danbury 33-15, including two shutout victories. Forward Kareem El-Bashir led the way for the Black Bears' success against Danbury with eight points in eight games against the Hat Tricks.

Maryland showed mental toughness and grit in the season opener against Maine where they raised both its regular and postseason East Division Championship banners. After falling behind 2-0 and finding themselves shorthanded, they were able to battle back and tie the game with goals from forwards Trey Hinton and Markas Samenas. Kareem El-Bashir scored the game-winning goal in overtime to secure a 3-2 opening night win for the Black Bears. However, Maryland could not capture that same scoring magic on night two. Despite a good effort with numerous big hits and scoring chances, Nordiques' goalie Mathew DellaRusso stopped all 21 shots for a 4-0 shutout win.

There were a lot of positives from the first weekend for Maryland, as they saw two goaltenders put up strong performances both nights. Benji Motew made 38 saves in the 3-2 overtime win while Logan Hughes turned aside 25 shots in the 4-0 loss. Maryland's newcomers also made an offensive impact in the 3-2 win, with Hinton and Samenas scoring their first goals as Black Bears. Forward Harrison Smith recorded two assists, including the lone assist on El-Bashir's game-winning goal, and defenseman Aiden Lawson recorded an assist as well.

Danbury saw quite the opening weekend, being on the wrong end of history before delivering a decisive win of their own. The Hat Tricks played the East Division's newest team the Elmira Aviators in the team's first-ever series. Elmira impressed the division in its opening contest, defeating Danbury 6-1. The next night was a different story, as the Hat Tricks dominated the Aviators by the score of 8-2. Danbury had six players record multiple points, highlighted by forward Gates Omicioli's two goals and two assists while goaltender Thomas Kiesewetter made 28 saves in the victory. Danbury has seven players returning from last year's team that finished 16-36-8 for 40 points and ninth place in the East Division. Forward Emerson Molas is the highest-scoring player amongst returners, recording 13 goals and 12 assists for 25 points in 55 games last year. Defensemen Pierre Larocque and Anthony White are also returning to the team as are forwards Jack Wuertz, Mason Lupo, Ameen Ghosheh, and Joey Anderson. Keisewetter is back in net for his second season with the Hat Tricks after recording a 2-8-1 record last season.

Players to Watch

Ameen Ghosheh (F): Ghosheh returns to Danbury for his second season after being acquired by the team midseason from the Anchorage Wolverines. He recorded two points (both assists) in 21 games with the Hat Tricks last year. This season, Ghosheh started off red hot, recording the lone goal for Danbury in the season opener before recording two assists the following night during the Hat Tricks' 8-2 win over Elmira.

Harrison Smith (F): Smith is a new addition to the Black Bears' forward core. Coming off a strong season with Team Maryland U18 AAA, recording 34 goals, 73 assists, and 107 points in 56 games, he was successfully able to make an impact in his debut. Smith recorded an assist on Maryland's season-opening goal scored by Trey Hinton and Kareem El-Bashir's overtime game-winning goal. His two assists were accompanied by strong play on both ends of the ice, including impressive defensive plays where he swept the puck out of harm's way in the slot area.

Maryland and Danbury will play at Piney Orchard Ice Arena on Friday, September 20th, and Saturday, September 21st, with puck drop for both games scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET. All games can be streamed on NAHLTV.

Check out the Maryland Black Bears Statistics

• Discuss this story on the North American Hockey League message board...

North American Hockey League Stories from September 18, 2024


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central