New Jersey Titans 0-0-0-0
Maryland Black Bears 0-0-0-0
The New Jersey Titans will be looking to get their season started off right as they travel down to Maryland to take on rival Maryland Black Bears.
2020-2021 Season In Review
Maryland finished the regular season in fourth place with an overall record of 25-21-6-2. The Black Bears were the Eastern Division playoff surprise as they upset the top seeded Johnstown Tomahawks in 5 games to advance to the division final. In the division final the Black Bears faced the Maine Nordiques, who eventually ended up taking the series in 3 games.
New Jersey Titans finished the regular season with the record of 27-20-2-5 good enough for third place in the Eastern Division. The Titans were tasked with playing the Maine Nordiques in the opening round of playoffs where they eventually bowed out after an exciting 5 game series. For the New Jersey Titans they saw another season where they finished top 5 in the league in goals scored and NCAA D1 commitments.
Returning Players to Watch
Aidan McDowell 01'- Defensemen, Maryland Black Bears-
2020-2021 Stats - 36GP 3G 10A Maryland (NAHL)
Entering his third year in the Black Bears program, Mcdowell has been a steady defenseman for his team. He has 78 games of experience in the league and has average .35 ppg this year. He brings a physical element to his game and has shown that he can distribute the puck from the back end.
Jake Larusso 02'- Forward, New Jersey Titans-
2020-2021 Stats - 52GP 16G 28A New Jersey (NAHL)
Larusso is entering his fourth year with the New Jersey Titans and has already played 111 games in his Junior Hockey Career. Last season he posted an impressive stat line of 16 Goals, 28 Assists for a total of 44 points. Larusso is a solid combination of toughness and skill. He has an elite release on his shot and has vastly improved his foot speed, he never backs down from a challenge physically.
Rookie Watch
James Tepper 02'- Forward, Maryland Black Bears-
2020-2021 Stats - 22GP 13G 14A Cape Cod Whalers U18
The Proctor and Cape Cod Whalers product was a prolific scorer in prep school. With a nice frame and ability to get around the ice Tepper should have no issues with the pace in which the NAHL is played at. As an uncommitted forward it should not take long for NCAA D1 programs to start falling in love with his game.
Brendan Dumas 02' Forward, New Jersey Titans-
2020-2021 Stats - 29GP 17G 21A Cape Cod Whalers U18
Arguably the top pure goal scorer from New England is heading to New Jersey, to add to an already explosive offense. Dumas has a knack for finding soft areas of the ice and absolutely can fire the puck. He has a wide base which makes him incredibly hard to get knocked off the puck, he has the makings of big time NCAA D1 prospect.
Prediction
Maryland's back end has thinned out a bit due to players moving onto college and the forward group is unproven. New Jersey, a younger team last season returns a large group of players that had much success last season. Given the experience advantage the New Jersey Titans have over Maryland this early in the season, look for the Titans to take care of business and get their 2021-2022 season off on the right foot with a weekend sweep.