Tomahawks Defeat Jamestown, 3-1, Move Closer to Playoff Berth
By Ed Sheets
Friday night’s game between the Johnstown Tomahawks and Jamestown Ironmen had a playoff feel with a large crowd, physical play and solid goaltending on both ends of the ice. In the end, the Tomahawks received goals from Jeff Bergh, Ian Spencer, and Jordan Watt to pick up a 3-1 victory in front of 3,023 fans at the Cambria County War Memorial Arena.
The win gives Johnstown (24-19-12) 60 points, 10 points ahead of both Janesville and Springfield and 15 points ahead of Michigan. With a win or overtime loss Saturday night, the Tomahawks can clinch a playoff berth.
Johnstown’s Chris Truehl was solid in net, stopping 25 of 26 shots for the win, snapping a three-game losing streak. The lone Jamestown goal came from Ryan Doucet with 1:27 remaining in the third. Joe Ballmer stopped 25 of 27 shots in the loss.
Bergh got the Tomahawks on the board first at 6:16 of the first period. The goal was his eighth of the season and his first since scoring against Port Huron on Dec. 22. Mitch Kontny added an assist on the goal, extending his point streak to three games (2-3-5).
Spencer extended the lead to 2-0 after taking a pass from Zach Wallace and firing a shot from above the right faceoff circle past Ballmer at 4:41 of the second period.
Watt set the final score at 3-1, scoring on the empty net with 29 seconds remaining in the third period. The goal extends his scoring streak to three games and gives him 10 points (6-4-1) in his last 10 games.
The Tomahawks have won four of their last five games against Jamestown (33-16-4) this season. The win also gives them their first at home since defeating Port Huron 3-1 on January 31.
The Tomahawks conclude their 2012-2013 regular season home schedule Saturday night against the Ironmen at 7 PM, before traveling to Kalamazoo and Jamestown to close out the regular season.