Motew, Special Teams Inspire Black Bears to 2-0 Win Over Rebels

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NAHL Maryland Black Bears

Motew, Special Teams Inspire Black Bears to 2-0 Win Over Rebels

October 4, 2024 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Maryland Black Bears News Release


The Maryland Black Bears have thrived on home ice, entering Friday night's contest with a 3-1 record as they took on the team with the most goals for in the North American Hockey League's East Division, the Philadelphia Rebels. In the end, it was a special teams battle as the Black Bears recorded shorthanded and powerplay goals that propelled them to a 2-0 win.

Maryland found themselves in penalty trouble in the first period, taking three penalties which put the top powerplay in the East Division to work for Philadelphia. The Black Bears would not break, putting on an impressive performance on the penalty kill which includes a shorthanded goal by defenceman Evan Sofikitis. The play started at the far side of the offensive zone for Maryland, where Black Bears' forward Kareem El-Bashir and Trey Hinton battled for the puck and moved it to the far side where El-Bashir won a board battle and worked his way to the near circle. There, he froze Philadelphia goaltender Beau Lane and passed the puck to the slot where Sofikitis pinched in and buried it into the empty net for a 1-0 lead

In the second period, Maryland's powerplay got a chance to shine. While on the man advantage, Black Bears' defenseman Mason Stenger deked through three Rebels' players on the near side and dropped the puck to forward Harrison Smith who found forward Luke Rubin at the far circle for a one-time slapshot goal for a 2-0 lead which they would not relinquish. Maryland goaltender Benji Motew improved to 4-0-0 at Piney Orchard Ice Arena this season, recording 44 saves for his second shutout of the season.

The Black Bears and Rebels rematch on Saturday night at Piney Orchard Ice Arena with puck drop scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET. All games can be streamed on NAHLTV.

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