Maryland converted on three of their ten powerplay chances en route to a 6 – 1 win over the visiting Rebels to complete the weekend sweep between the teams. Newcomer Abzal Alibek scored the Rebels lone goal – their only goal of the weekend.
Maryland’s Luke Rubin scored with 9:50 remaining in the first period to open the scoring. After the Black Bears won the draw deep inside the Rebels zone, the puck went behind the net where it was picked up by Luke Janus (who won the draw). Janus made a centering pass out front from the side of the cage to Rubin who took a one-timer that beat Rebels netminder Owen Crudale for Rubin’s fourth goal of the season.
Alibek evened the score at one just 1:06 into the middle stanza. Luke Janviriya brought the puck into the offensive zone along the near side boards. As he gained the line, he passed the biscuit to Brock Jones on his right. Jones immediately passed the puck through the top of the slot to Alibek who took a snapshot that beat Black Bears goalie Ryan Denes.
Charles Panchisin was called for tripping at 4:47 of the second. Twenty-three seconds later, Ryan Vaites was called for high sticking to give the Black Bears a 5 on 3. Former Rebel Tyler Stern scored on a redirect out front past Crudale at 5:42 of the second to make it a 2 – 1 game. It was Stern’s first of the season.
At 9:46 Vaites was called for tripping to put the Black Bears back on the man advantage. A minute later Aiden Lawson gave the Black Bears a 3 – 1 lead. After Stern brought the puck into the offensive zone along the near side boards, he passed the puck up to Harrison Smith at the faceoff dot. Smith sent a cross-ice pass through the slot to Lawson who took a one-timer that beat Crudale for Lawson’s first of the season.
Riley Fast scored with 5:23 left in the second to make it a 4 – 1 game. Isac Nielsen scored Maryland’s third powerplay goal of the evening to make it 5 – 1 midway through the third, and Kareem El Bashir hit the back of the net with three minutes remaining in the game to make it 6 – 1 and to close out the scoring.
Denes stopped 29 of 30 shots while Crudale and Beau Lane combined to turn aside 36 of 42. Click HERE for the complete box score.
The Rebels will have a home-and-home series next weekend against the New Jersey Titans.
