THE SERIES
The Johnstown Tomahawks and Aston Rebels renew their rivalry this weekend, meeting for the first time since their physical weekend back in February. The Tomahawks and Rebels split that series, with the Rebels taking the first game 5-1 and the Tomahawks taking the second game 3-2 in overtime
In the opening game of the weekend, the Tomahawks took the early lead, as Dante Suffredini scored a power-play goal at 10:07 of the first period.
Eric Carreras got the Rebels on the board, scoring 5:46 into the second period. Ryan Cusin, Dean Balsamo and Kristofers Bindulis followed with goals of their own to give Aston a 4-1 lead after two periods. Gvido Jansons set the final score with a goal at 16:12 of the third period.
In the weekend finale, the Rebels jumped out to a 2-0 lead, thanks to power-play goals by Dom Garcia and Michael Merulla in the first period.
The Tomahawks responded in the third period, as Anthony Parrucci scored at 2:10. Johnstown tied the game with 4:03 remaining in regulation, as Luke Lynch tallied a power-play goal.
The game went to overtime, where Tommy Horn picked up the game-winner 2:02 into the extra period. Andrew Lindgren earned the win, stopping 22 of 24 shots.
Kelly O’Brien leads the Tomahawks with 11 points (two goals, nine assists) against the Rebels, while Luke Lynch has seven goals against them. Andrew Lindgren is 3-1 against Aston this season with a 2.30 GAA and a .914 save percentage.
Evgeny Yakovlev and Kristofers Bindulis each have 12 points against Johnstown, with Bindulis having 10 assists. Michael Merulla and Dean Balsamo each have five goals against the Tomahawks. Darion Hanson has five wins against Johnstown.
Following this weekend’s games, the Tomahawks and Rebels close out their season series next Friday and Saturday in Aston. The Tomahawks close out the regular season at home against the Knights, while the Rebels take on New Jersey in a home-and-home series to close out their regular-season schedule.