JOHNSTOWN – A late third period goal vaulted the Aston Rebels past the Johnstown Tomahawks 3-2 Saturday night at the Cambria County War Memorial Arena.
Dom Garcia put the Rebels on the board first with a goal, his second in as many nights. The goal was assisted by Ryan Cusin and Brennan Kapcheck.
Less than a minute later, the Tomahawks knotted the game at one goal apiece when Andrew Romano fired home a wraparound goal past the outstretched pad of Rebels goalie Darion Hanson. Casey Linkenheld and Luke Lynch picked up the helpers on Romano’s sixteenth goal of the year.
Garcia was not finished scoring goals as he netted his second of the contest at 18:07 as the Rebels carried a 2-1 lead into the first intermission.
Five minutes into the middle period, Lynch notched his 27th goal of the year and cemented his place in the history books with his 52nd point of the season, a franchise record for points in a campaign. Linkenheld registered his second assist of the night.
After the Tomahawks failed to convert on two consecutive powerplays, the Rebels scored on one of their own when Eric Carreras slid the puck past Tomahawks goaltender Andrew Lindgren to make it 3-2 Aston.
Hanson picked up his twentieth win on the season, stopping 19 of 21 Tomahawks shots. Lindgren, with the defeat, stopped 21 of 24 shots on goal.
The Tomahawks take to the road next week Friday, March 25 and Saturday, March 26 as they take on the Aston Rebels at the IceWorks Complex. Johnstown returns to the War Memorial Arena for the last homestand of the season Friday, April 1 and Saturday April 2. April 2 is the annual Guns and Hoses charity game (4:30 p.m.) as well as Fan Appreciation Night. For more information, visit www. JohnstownTomahawks.com.