JOHNSTOWN, PA – The Johnstown Tomahawks appeared to be headed towards a 2-1 victory over the Springfield Jr. Blues on Saturday night at the Cambria County War Memorial. A late goal and a 16-round shootout gave the Jr. Blues a 3-2 victory in front of 2,278 fans and 125 dogs.
Joshua Lammon got the Jr. Blues on the board, scoring in front of the net 6:28 into the first period.
Less than two minutes later, Alex Alger scored on a shot from the left faceoff circle into the right side of the net. Zac Robbins and Nick LeSage each added assists on the goal.
The Tomahawks took a 2-1 lead halfway through the third period, when Alger scored a breakaway goal, his second of the game. Alger has now scored 12 points in his last five games.
The score remained the same, until Brian Rigali chipped the puck past Ryan Bedard’s pad with 49 seconds remaining in regulation.
After a scoreless overtime period, the game went to a shootout. In the second round Lester Lancaster scored, before Robbins matched him in the second half of the round. This occurred again in the fourth, sixth and twelfth rounds, before Cameron Cooper scored the game-winner in the 16th round.
Dryden McKay earned the win, stopping 32 of 34 shots and 12 of 16 in the shootout. Bednard suffered the loss, stopping 31 of 33 shots and 11 of 16 in the shootout.
The Tomahawks close out the weekend series against Springfield Sunday afternoon. Face-off is set for 1 p.m., with a post-game skate presented by OneMain Financial. For more information, or to purchase tickets, visit www.johnstowntomahawks.com or call 814-536-4625.