ODENTON, MD – The Philadelphia Rebels (9-15-0-1, 19 pts) travel to play a weekend series against the Maryland Black Bears (20-6-2-0, 42 pts) beginning on Friday night.
Here are five things to know ahead of the series:
1. How Sweep it is
Last weekend, the Rebels completed a home sweep over the Danbury Jr. Hat Tricks. In Friday’s contest, the Rebels came back from a second-period deficit to earn a 4-2 victory.
In his season debut, Carter Casper recorded the game-winning goal after slotting a rebound off a Max Hamstad shot.
Saturday, Danbury tied the game late, but Jack Fialkoff made seven saves in the shootout and Charles Panchisin scored in the ninth round to give Philadelphia the extra point.
2. Captain Connor
Philadelphia’s co-captain Connor Sedlak has flipped into another gear of late for the Rebels. In his last eight games, Sedlak has nine of his 15 total points this season.
In that stretch, he’s scored four goals and added five assists. Over the eight games, Sedlak has three multi-point games.
Sedlak’s play of late has landed him on the Star of the Week honors list in two of the last three series. His seven goals are tied for the team lead with David Deputy and Dom Foglia.
3. Foglia Focus
Since being acquired, Foglia has seven points in seven games for the Rebels, including a two-goal, three-point performance on Nov. 27 against Johnstown.
Foglia’s arrival proved to be a steadying force for the Rebels blue line that has allowed just 2.6 goals per game in seven games since the acquisition.
4. Between the Pipes
Jakub Krbecek has been clutch for Philadelphia all season and has been excellent in his last five outings.
During his last five games, Krbecek has logged a .932 save percentage and has only allowed more than two goals once.
5. Scouting the Black Bears
Maryland has a league-leading 42 points in the standings, but is winless in its last five contests. In their last two series, the Black Bears have been swept by Northeast and New Jersey, picking up just one point in those four games.
The Black Bears still feature the most potent offense in the North American Hockey League. Spearheaded by Christian Catalano’s league-leading 20 goals and 34 points, Maryland has scored 10 more goals than any other team this season (102 in 28 games).
Friday and Saturday’s games can be seen on HockeyTV and both will begin at 7:30 p.m.
