The New Jersey Titans will head south to Odenton, Maryland, for the second and last time during the regular season when they face off against the Maryland Black Bears this weekend. It will be the fifth and sixth of eight meetings between the two teams this season.
Interestingly, the road team has won every game this year. New Jersey hosted the Black Bears over the first weekend of October, with Maryland winning both games. Friday night would see goals by Ethan Wongus and Kristofers Krumins in the first period, but those would be the only goals generated as the Titans fell 3-2. The offense would then find themselves unable to get onto the board the next night, with New Jersey dropping a 3-0 decision.
The Titans would respond during their first trip to the Piney Orchard Ice Arena in November, powered by a two goal first period with goals from Cooper Eberhardt and Riley Fitzgerald. Jack Hillier scored the game winner and Dominick Rivelli added an insurance marker to give New Jersey a 4-2 victory. Saturday night saw both teams tighten up defensively, though Maryland connected in the second period and held the lead late in the third. Rivelli would salvage a point for his team by tying the game at 1 with only 13 seconds remaining in regulation time. The game would head to a shootout, where Hillier was the only goal scorer, and the Titans left Maryland with all 4 points in the standings.
New Jersey is currently 6th in the East Division with a record of 19-15-2. With 40 points they are 7 points clear of 7th place New Hampshire, and 3 points out of third place in the packed middle of the division. The Black Bears regained their perch atop the division this past weekend. With a record of 27-7-5 they have the highest winning percentage in the league, and with 59 points they are tied with Lone Star for first overall.
The games are scheduled for Friday, the 26th, and Saturday, the 27th, both at 7:30pm at the Piney Orchard Ice Arena in Odenton, Maryland. Both games will be available to watch on NAHLtv.