SEWELL, NJ – The Philadelphia Rebels (23-27-2-1, 49 pts) host the Maryland Black Bears (37-15-4-0, 78 pts) for a pair of games at Hollydell Ice Arena this weekend.
Here are five things to know ahead of the series.
1. Final Five at Home
The Rebels begin this series with their fifth-to-last home game of the season. So far in 2022-23, the Rebels have come around after a slow start to their home schedule.
Philadelphia has bounced back with eight total wins in Hollydell Ice Arena after dropping their first five home games of the season.
Since the New Year, Philadelphia has recorded six of its home wins.
2. Bring the Power
After an 0-for-15 drought, the Rebels exploded on the power play in Johnstown, scoring three power-play goals in the last two games.
In Saturday’s game, Philadelphia scored two power-play goals in the third period alone, with Kris Samitis and David Deputy converting.
Dom Foglia assisted on two power-play goals last weekend for his 10th power-play point of the season.
3. Breaking 40
Deputy scored twice and added an assist last weekend to reach the 40-point mark in his rookie year.
Deputy is the second Rebel to reach the 40-point mark, trailing Connor Sedlak by three points this season. Overall, RIT-commit has 18 goals and 22 assists.
After sitting in the high-30s for a few games, Deputy recorded his eighth multi-point game of the season on Saturday to put him in range of 40. An assist on Sunday gave Deputy his 40th of the year.
4. Last Time Out
In the Rebels last series, they broke out of an offensive slump, scoring nine goals in three games. However, Philadelphia couldn’t find a way in three-separate one-goal losses to Johnstown.
The Rebels did get their power-play going with Kris Samitis’ seventh goal of the year on Saturday, but were unable to find a victory in Johnstown.
5. Matchup
The Black Bears are tied with Johnstown for the opponent the Rebels face most often this year. In their 11th and 12th matchups, the Rebels will look to build on a 50-save shutout win in their last series against Maryland.
The shutout was Jakub Krbecek’s first-career shutout and started a stretch where he blanked his opponent in five of six contests.
Both games will begin at 7 p.m. at Hollydell Ice Arena and will have free admission for all fans. The games will also be available on HockeyTV.
