Series Preview: Maryland Travels to Johnstown with East Division Crown in Sight
NAHL Maryland Black Bears

Series Preview: Maryland Travels to Johnstown with East Division Crown in Sight

Published on March 11, 2026 under North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Maryland Black Bears News Release


It's a simple task at hand for the Maryland Black Bears this weekend: secure one point, secure the division. With only one point this weekend, or one loss of any kind by the Rochester Jr. Americans, Maryland will clinch the regular season NAHL East Division title for the third time in franchise history. This weekend's opponent, the Johnstown Tomahawks, hopes to play spoiler as Johnstown is currently battling for the final playoff spot in the East Division, trailing the Danbury Hat Tricks by three points. The Black Bears enter this weekend with a 41-5-4 record and 86 points, while the Tomahawks sport a 22-21-8 record with 52 points.

Maryland earned two hard-fought wins this past weekend in a home-and-home series against the Philadelphia Rebels, extending its win streak to nine games. Game one at Piney Orchard Ice Arena did not start as planned as the team saw the Rebels strike twice just over a minute apart to make it 2-0. The Black Bears would respond in the first period's final minute with forward Kristofers Krumins redirecting defenseman Anthony Pelletteri's shot to cut the deficit to 2-1. Maryland used that momentum for a strong second period start, with forward Tanner Duncan striking less than five minutes in to tie the game, followed by Krumin's second goal of the game to take the lead. Defenseman Will Esterbrooks scored later in the second to make it 4-2. While Philadelphia would get a goal back in the third period, goaltender Ryan Denes held down the fort from there, turning aside 14 shots, including nine in the third period, in the Black Bears' 4-3 win.

Game two saw Maryland get the hot start with a pair of goals from forward Owen Drury to make it 2-0 in the first. Philadelphia responded with the next three goals and held a 3-2 lead heading into the third period. The Black Bears' offense would come alive in period three, with forwards Ryan Franks and Harrison Smith scoring less than a minute apart midway through the third period for a 4-3 lead. Drury would complete the hat trick a few minutes later to make the score 5-3 before Duncan's empty net goal capped off a 6-3 Maryland win. Dom Gatto made 18 saves in the win.

Johnstown's current three game win streak has injected new life into its season, seeing them climb to within three points of Danbury for the final playoff spot in the East Division. This is in part due to sweeping the aforementioned Hat Tricks this past weekend. Defenseman Kirby Perler started the scoring on night one to give Johnstown a first period lead before Danbury responded to tie the game 1-1 in the second period. The game remained tied until six minutes to go in the third period when forward Ben Norris lifted the Tomahawks ahead 2-1. Forward Nick Jarmain iced the game with an empty net goal for a 3-1 win. Zach Ferris made 21 saves for Johnstown. Norris started the scoring for the Tomahawks on night two in the first period before the Hat Tricks got the next two for a 2-1 Danbury lead after 20 minutes. Forward Jack Genovese tied the game in the second period, setting up once again for a dramatic third period. The Hat Tricks took a 3-2 lead on a power play goal early in the third before Emerson Marshall responded for Johnstown with a power play goal of his own, tying the game at 3-3 with just 6:09 to go in regulation. The game went to overtime, where Tomahawks' defenseman Jack Sullivan won the game with a power play goal with just two seconds left in the extra session, with a 4-3 final score. Ferris made 25 saves in the dramatic win.

Maryland has dominated the regular season series between these two teams, beating Johnstown in all six games so far while outscoring them 29-12. Last time they were in Johnstown, Maryland won both games by scores of 5-1 and 6-3. This series will be the final meeting in the regular season for the Black Bears and Tomahawks.

Players to Watch:

Harrison Smith (F, MYD): Smith's nine game point streak has been something to behold, with eight of these nine games seeing Smith put up a multi-point effort. His 20 points in those nine games have vaulted him back to being the NAHL's leader in assists (63) and points (86). In six games against Johnstown this season, Smith has two goals and eight assists.

Jack Genovese (F, JTN): Genovese stepped up in a big way this past Saturday, scoring a goal and an assist in the Tomahawks' 4-3 overtime win. He's been effective on the power play with 17 power play points, all while staying out of the penalty box with 10 penalty minutes in 46 games.

Maryland and Johnstown take the ice on Friday, March 13th, at 7:30 p.m. ET, and Saturday, March 14th, at 7:00 p.m. ET, at 1st Summit Arena. All games can be streamed on NATV.

Check out the Maryland Black Bears Statistics

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North American Hockey League Stories from March 11, 2026


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