WEEKEND PREVIEW:
It’s been a tale of two separate seasons for the two teams so far, with Maryland occupying the top spot in the first edition of the NAHL Power Rankings referred to as the Tuesday Ten with the Northeast Generals being the only other East Division squad to crack the top ten (4). The Tomahawks sit 23rd of 36 overall in the NAHL standings through six games but are coming off of two strong wins to close out the showcase last week and will look to game plan for a Maryland team that has certainly had their number over the last two seasons. The Black Bears also left the showcase in Blaine with a 2-1-0 record after playing in three straight contests that ended with a 3-2 score. They began with a victory against the Austin Bruins, followed by a loss versus the Janesville Jets and then took down the El Paso Rhinos.
JTN:
Evan Kensey leads the way for the Tomahawks, registering nine points (2G, 7A) through his first six games which is tied for sixth overall in the league and has been one of the brightest spots of the Tomahawks season so far as a returning player who looks to be taking the next step. Ethan Coots and Sam Esposito have also been contributing offensively with four points a piece. Returning defenseman Conor Griffin has also been a pleasant surprise offensively from the backend, also with four points after recording just seven assists last season through 48GP. Although they have just one player above five points on the season, through six games the lineup seems to be getting scoring from a more expanded group of players than was the case last year for the majority of the season.
Goaltending
All three Tomahawks goaltenders have gotten at least two appearances between the pipes so far and after the first two games, they’ve certainly rebounded as the team is coming off its first shutout of the season.
- Luc Beauparlant – 0-1-1 | .922SV% | 2.92GAA
- Dylan Bourque – 1-0-0 | .895SV% | 3.21GAA
- Matthew Wood – 1-2-0 | .891SV% | 3.33GAA | 1SO
MYD:
Forward Brady Anes leads the Black Bears with nine points (2G, 7A) as a returner from last year’s championship squad and is tied with Johnstown’s Evan Kensey for 6th in the NAHL. The Black Bears also have seven players who have registered a point per game thus far with B. Anes, Z. Miles, A. Rai, T. Terranova, J. Gasperko, V. Glos, and B. Wade. After putting up a whopping 11 goals on the Tomahawks in their first weekend matchup of the season, the Black Bears will look to end the Tomahawks current two-game win streak as well as their ongoing 72-minute shutout streak. Maryland is one of six teams in the NAHL to have not lost a game in regulation yet.
Goaltending
The Black Bears have rolled with just two goaltenders so far this season and they’ve certainly been happy with the results. Michael Iliff and Cole Werthman have recorded a combined six wins and .943 save percentage, while allowing just 11 goals through seven games.
- Michael Iliff – 4-0-0 | .947SV% | 1.50GAA
- Cole Werthman – 2-0-1 | .938SV% | 1.64GAA
