The New Jersey Titans will host the top ranked Maryland Black Bears for the final time in the regular season this weekend at the Middletown Sports Complex on Friday, March 1st, at 7:30pm and Saturday, March 2nd, at 7:00pm. New Jersey is 2-4 against the Black Bears so far this season, with their wins coming on the road via a weekend sweep on November 10th and 11th. That Friday night saw the Titans skate away with a 4-2 victory, and on Saturday, Jack Hillier provided the shootout winner in a tight 2-1 decision.
Maryland features a balanced attack with a stingy defense. Their 101 goals against is the third lowest number in the league, and the best inside the division. Maine and Rochester, tied for the second lowest goals against inside the division with 136, illustrates how difficult it has been for teams to score against the Black Bears.
Offensively, Maryland is led by Jeremi Tremblay with 16 goals, and Jesse Horacek with 40 points. Both ’03 birth years are committed to NCAA Division I schools, with Tremblay signed to Sacred Heart and Horacek heading to Alaska-Anchorage next season. Owen Lepak and Colin Ronan have split time in the Maryland goal this season and have performed well. Statwise, both are in the top 10 of goaltenders in the league, with Lepak’s 1.79 ranked 3rd and Ronan’s 2.06 ranked 8th.
Tasked with solving this problem are New Jersey’s leading scorers Dominick Rivelli and Dominik Bartecko, each with 19 goals this season. Rivelli, along with Hillier, Matej Teply, and Kristofers Krumins, have all recorded 3 points in the previous 6 games against the Black Bears.
Faceoff is scheduled for 7:30pm tomorrow, Friday March 1st, and at 7:00pm Saturday, March 2nd. Tickets are available for purchase by following this link.