The Maryland Black Bears entered the night with a 3-0-1 record over its East Division rival, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights, and sought win number four. Back stopped by a Cooper Black shutout and a few highlight-reel goals, the Black Bears achieved exactly that with a 3-0 win.
The scoring didn’t start until the second period but when it rains, it pours. It started with Maryland forward Reid Leibold going inside-outside on a Knights defender and going in two-on-one with Aden Bruich. Leibold passed the puck across to Bruich, who slammed it past Wilkes-Barre/Scranton goalie Zach Stejskal for a 1-0 lead. The Black Bears capitalized again 19 seconds later, this time it was forward Ethan Heidepriem with the strike. Heidepriem received a pass from Filip Jakobsson but lost an edge that made him fall to his knees. Heidepriem was able to bounce back up to his feet and make a move to his backhand for the goal and a 2-0 lead.
Maryland forward Brayden Stannard concluded the scoring in the third period while both teams had a man in the penalty box. Stannard got the puck and drove the net to make a forehand backhand move for the 3-0 lead. Cooper Black turned aside all 20 shots he faced on the way to a 3-0 win for the Black Bears while Stejskal stopped 39 shots for the Knights. The shutout is the first of the season for either Maryland goalie. Ethan Heidepriem received the third star of the game, Aden Bruich received second star, and Cooper Black received first star.
Maryland will play its final game in 2019 as they conclude the two-game series against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights. Puck drop will be at 7:45 PM ET at Piney Orchard Ice Arena.
