ASTON, Penn. – The Johnstown Tomahawks fell to the Aston Rebels 5-1 Saturday night at the Aston Ice Works Complex, thanks to a third period hat trick by Michael Merulla
Aston got on the board first, as Mason Van Tuyl scored at 16:27 of the first period. Ryan Cusin and Kristofers Bindulis added assists on the goal.
Andrew Romano tied the game for Johnstown (14-14-4), picking up his seventh goal of the season at 6:19 of the second period. Tommy Horn and Kelly O’Brien each added assists on the goal.
Later in the period, Dean Balsamo regained the lead for Aston (17-10-0), scoring at 17:41. Austin Swingle and Carter Woolley picked up assists on the goal.
Merulla closed out the scoring with his hat trick, scoring goals at 5:21, 9:27 and 18:27 to set the final score at 5-1.
Trevor Micucci earned the win, stopping 27 of 28 shots. Ryan Glander suffered the loss, allowing five goals on 34 shots. The Tomahawks went 0-for-4 on the power play and 4-for-5 on the penalty kill.
Johnstown closes out its road trip against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton next Saturday night. The Tomahawks return home to take on Kenai River, starting Dec. 31. For more information, or to purchase tickets, visit www.johnstowntomahawks.com or call 814-536-GOAL.
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