Maryland’s Riley Ruh scored the lone goal in the skills competition to give the Black Bears a 4 – 3 win over the visiting Rebels in a shootout to complete the weekend sweep between the teams.
Despite the loss, it was the Rebels ninth game out of their last ten that they earned a point. And, with Northeast’s 6 – 3 loss to New Jersey, the Rebels find themselves only three points behind the Generals for the sixth and final playoff spot with three games in hand.
Tonight’s game was felt like déjà vu from last night’s contest with Maryland taking a 2 – 0 lead in the opening period. The Black Bears’ Jesse Horacek scored his first of two straight goals at 7:20 into the game. Ruh brought the puck into the offensive zone and passed it to Michael Urgo on his right at the far side boards. Urgo made a pass to a breaking Horacek on his left, and Horacek skated to the near side faceoff circle and took a wrist shot from inside the faceoff circle that beat Owen Crudale to make it 1-0.
At 8:39 of the first, Galizia was called for interference to give the Black Bears the man advantage. Thirty-two seconds later Horacek scored his second of the game to make it 2 – 0. Horacek brought the puck into the offensive zone along the near side boards. As he gained the line, Horacek stopped and made a cross-ice pass through the high slot to Samuel Stitz who took a shot that was saved by Crudale but the deep rebound came right out to Horacek who shot the puck into the empty net for his fourth goal of the season against the Rebels.
The Rebels didn’t wilt. They scored three unanswered goals to take a 3 – 2 lead starting at 4:24 into the middle stanza. Otto Polakovs picked up the loose puck at his own slot. As he skated towards his blueline, he made a cross-ice pass to Charles Panchisin at center ice along the far side boards. As Panchisin reached the faceoff dot, he made a cross-ice pass through the slot to Bryce Strand on his left and Strand redirected the puck past Black Bears goalie Owen Lepak for Strand’s second goal of the season.
Galizia evened the score at 9:13 into the second. Ryan Bunting picked up the loose puck at his own blueline and head manned the biscuit to Klaus Jogi breaking down the near side boards. As Jogi reached the top of the faceoff circle, he passed it to Shane Carr in the slot who passed the puck to Galizia on his right, and Galizia redirected the biscuit past Lepak for Galizia’s fourth goal of the season.
Brayton Frick gave the Rebels their only lead of the weekend at 4:37 into the third period. Frick picked up the loose puck along the near side boards at the hash marks and passed it to Luke Minard on his left. As Minard skated through center ice and into the offensive zone, a Maryland defender forced him to the far side corner. Minard did a 180 degree turn and made a centering pass out front to Frick who one-timed it past Lepak for Frick’s fourth of the season.
Maryland’s Dimitry Kebreau scored his third goal of the weekend to tie the game at three with 2:28 left in the game. Stitz picked up the loose puck at his own hash marks and sent a bounce pass off the far side boards and was picked up by Kebreau. Kebreau skated down the boards and into the offensive zone where he took a wrist shot from the faceoff circle that beat Crudale short side to close out the scoring in regulation and send it into the extra period.
After a scoreless overtime, Kebreau scored the lone goal in the shootout to give Maryland the 4 – 3 win. Crudale turned aside 29 of 32 shots while Lepak stopped 26 of 29. Click HERE for the complete box score.
The Rebels will play a pair of games next weekend at the War Memorial for a two-game series against the Johnstown Tomahawks.
