The Philadelphia Rebels received a standout performance from defenseman Joe Stauber, but the Maryland Black Bears used a dominant third period to secure a 6–3 victory.
Maryland opened the scoring early in the first period before adding a second goal to build a quick 2–0 lead. The Rebels responded before the intermission when Stauber scored his first goal of the night to cut the deficit to 2–1 heading into the second period.
Philadelphia carried that momentum into the middle frame. Stauber struck again early in the period to tie the game at 2–2, completing a rush and beating Maryland goaltender Dom Gatto. Later in the period, Stauber completed the hat trick to give the Rebels their first lead of the night at 3–2. The three-goal performance marked a rare hat trick by a defenseman and briefly put Philadelphia in control midway through the game.
The Black Bears responded in the third period with a surge that ultimately decided the contest. Owen Drury led the charge for Maryland, scoring three goals in the game, including multiple tallies in the final period to help flip the momentum back in the Black Bears’ favor. Maryland added additional goals from Ryan Franks, Tanner Duncan and Harrison Smith to pull away late.
Maryland finished the night with a 40–21 advantage in shots on goal. Rebels goaltender Ilja Nikitins kept Philadelphia competitive for much of the game, stopping 35 of the 40 shots he faced. Gatto made 18 saves for Maryland to earn the win.
In addition to Stauber’s three goals, Philadelphia received assists from Abzal Alibek, Brayton Frick and Dylan Moran.
With the loss, the Rebels fall to 18-24-2-6 on the season, while the Black Bears improve to 41-5-3-1. Philadelphia returns to action next Friday when it heads on the road to square off against the Elmira Aviators.