For the first time since November, the Maine Nordiques had a true road game.

The Nordiques defeated the Maryland Black Bears 3-2 in a shootout Thursday in a North American Hockey League East Division contest down in Edgewood, Maryland. It was the first time the Nordiques traveled for a game since going down to Attleboro, Massachusetts on Nov. 12 to take on the Northeast Generals. The Nordiques played the Generals in Lewiston at the Androscoggin Bank Colisee in December and again earlier this month in games where the Nordiques were considered the visiting team.

The Ice World, where the game was played in Englewood, isn’t the Black Bears’ home arena. Matt Pinchevsky, Maine Nordiques associate head coach, said it was an event to just get ready for the games.

“We got dressed in the hotel and put our skates on in a tent (outside the rink), walked in, walked to the bench, had warmups, stayed on the bench for the Zamboni ice cut, national anthem (was played and) then go,” Pinchevsky said. “A little different scenario, but the guys were taken back to their old-school youth hockey days of getting dressed in the car, getting dressed early in the morning with mom and dad pushing them out of the car to get onto the ice.”

The team went through a dress rehearsal Wednesday at the Colisee, as the coaching staff told the players when they came in for a light practice to get their gear and get dressed in the team’s video room and put their skates on at the bench.

Pinchevsky is acting as the head coach for Thursday’s and Friday games, with head coach Nolan Howe not attending the games due to the birth of his second child.

Casper Soderling scored in the eighth round of the shootout to give the Nordiques (15-8-1, 31 points) the victory. Isaiah Fox also scored in the shootout.

“The job we came down here to do never faltered being down by a goal twice in that game,” Pinchevesky said. “They just proved how resilient and willing to work hard together, focus on the job that we came down to do.”

The two teams split two games last week.

The Black Bears (10-5-5, 25 points) took a 1-0 lead just past the eight-minute mark of the first period as Aiden McDowell found the back of the ne,t with Luke Mountain and Hunter McCoy setting the goal up.

Fox scored the only goal of the second period as the Long Island University commit potted his eighth goal of the season. Caden Pattison and Luke Antonacci had the assists.

“It was a good call by Nolan (Howe) with the lineup to slide (Pattison) up to play with guys like (Stefan) Owens and Fox,” Pinchevsky said. “For him to make a high-skilled play, a saucer pass across the rink, Fox had enough time and space to load it and show why he’s going to score at the Division I level and blast it by (Maryland goalie Michael) Morelli.”

Maryland retook the lead seven minutes into the third period as Northeastern commit Cam Gaudette beat Nordiques goalie Tyriq Outen (40 saves).

With just under six minutes left in regulation, Nordiques defenseman Cooper Swift picked up his fourth goal of the year, with forwards Jack Strauss and Tyler Gaulin picking up the assists.

Morelli made 42 saves.

The two teams get back at it Friday at noon down in Maryland.

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