The Johnstown Tomahawks came back from an early two-goal deficit, but Jon Hall scored a third period goal to give the Port Huron Fighting Falcons the 3-2 win in game one of the North Division semi-finals on Thursday night at McMorran Arena.
The Fighting Falcons struck first, as Bryce VanHorn scored 1:39 into the first period. Logan Lambdin earned an assist on the goal. VanHorn netted his second goal of the game with the man advantage at 6:34. Zach Badalamenti and Jonathan Kopacka were credited with assists on the goal.
Later in the period, Tanner Barnes got the Tomahawks on the board, scoring on a backhand shot between the circles at 16:35. Just 22 seconds later, Jordan Watt tied the game, firing a shot from above the left circle and past Max Milosek. Joe Drabin and Brandon Reinholz assisted on the Watt goal.
The score remained tied at two, until Hall scored the game-winning goal at 4:13. Nick Horne and Elliot Tisdale picked up assists on the goal. Milosek earned the win, stopping 19 of 21 shots. Brett Young took the loss, allowing 32 goals on 35 shots. The Tomahawks went 0-for-2 on the power play, while going 3-for-4 on the penalty kill.
The Tomahawks and Fighting Falcons meet for game two on Friday night at 7 p.m. Fans can watch all the action from Port Huron on www.fasthockey.com, with George Lucas providing play-by-play for the Tomahawks. The Tomahawks return home to host the Fighting Falcons for game three on Friday, April 11.
Individual playoff tickets for all Tomahawks home games are now on sale. Get your tickets at the War Memorial box office, all Ticketmaster locations, including www.ticketmaster.com or by calling (800) 745-3000. Ticket prices start as low as $9 for adults and tickets for kids under 12 are $6.