ODENTON, Md. — The Philadelphia Rebels hit the road Tuesday morning for a matchup against the first-place Maryland Black Bears at Piney Orchard Ice Arena. Puck drop is set for 11 a.m., as the Rebels look to end a five-game skid and hand Maryland one of its few losses of the season. Philadelphia enters the contest with a 5-8-0-1 record, while Maryland sits atop the East Division at 11-1-0-1
Rebels Rundown
Forward Johnny Conlin continues to lead the Rebels with 14 points (7 goals, 7 assists) in 11 games, though he missed the team’s last outing against Rochester. Charlie Spencer has been a consistent producer with 12 points, while Ryan Bunting — who has missed the past two games — and Alex Lunski each have 10 points on the year.
Abzal Alibek and Jordan Brothers add scoring with nine points apiece, and defenseman Joe Stauber continues to chip in offensively with nine points in 14 games. Between the pipes, Ilja Nikitins has been reliable, posting a 4-3-0 record with a 2.78 goals-against average and a .903 save percentage.
Philadelphia has gone 4-6-0-0 in its last 10 games but has competed hard in several close matchups. The Rebels will look to tighten up defensively and create offense through sustained pressure and special teams improvement.
Scouting the Black Bears
Maryland enters Tuesday’s contest as one of the hottest teams in the NAHL, going 9-0-0-1 over its last 10 games and riding a seven-game winning streak.
Forward Harrison Smith leads the league with 25 points (5 goals, 20 assists) in 11 games, while Joshua Frenette (18 points), Jaden Sikura (13), Owen Drury (11) and Tanner Duncan (11) provide balanced production throughout the lineup.
Goaltender Ryan Denes has been outstanding, posting a 6-0-0 record, a 1.66 goals-against average and a .926 save percentage, while backstopping the league’s best defensive and penalty-killing unit.
Special Teams Breakdown
Maryland’s special teams have been among the league’s best, ranking 18th on the power play at 16.9 percent (12-for-71) and first on the penalty kill at an impressive 95.5 percent (67-for-70).
Philadelphia’s special teams have shown improvement but remain a work in progress, sitting 32nd on the power play at 7.6 percent (4-for-53) and 28th on the penalty kill at 77.3 percent (51-for-66). A strong effort in both areas could be the difference against a Maryland squad that thrives on capitalizing in key moments.
What to Watch
To secure a road win, Philadelphia will need to play a disciplined, physical game and generate traffic in front of Denes. Limiting turnovers and taking advantage of power-play chances will be crucial as the Rebels aim to hand the Black Bears their first regulation loss in nearly a month.
Puck drop is scheduled for 11 a.m. Tuesday at Piney Orchard Ice Arena in Odenton, Maryland.