Photo Credit: Tami Knopsnyder
Tomahawks Lose High-Scoring Game 6-5, Pick Up First Point of the Season
By Ed Sheets
After the Johnstown Tomahawks entered the first intermission with a 1-0 lead, it appeared that Thursday evening’s game would be low scoring. The Tomahawks and Topeka RoadRunners would combine to score 9 goals in the second and third periods, including three straight by the Johnstown in the third period to take the game into overtime. In the end, the Tomahawks fell to the Topeka RoadRunners 6-5 in a shootout, while picking up their first point of the season.
For the second straight game, the Tomahawks had a two-goal scorer as Brandon Reinholz scored two goals and added an assist. Shane Bednard also added a goal and assist.
Reinholz got Johnstown on the board late in the first period, scoring on the blocker side of goaltender Blake Wojtala with 1:16 remaining. Neither team would score until Topeka’s Tyler Poulsen scored at 13:14 of the second period. This would be the first of three goals scored between the two teams in a 1:26 span. The Tomahawks would retake the lead on a goal by Shane Bednard, before Topeka’s Tomas Nechala scored from above the left faceoff circle to tie the game. The RoadRunners would take their first lead of the game after Andrew Roye scored from just inside the blue line at 18:39.
The RoadRunners picked two more goals early in the third period on new goaltender Colin DeAugustine. Jerad Tafoya scored from the right side at 1:15, before Peter Halash made it 5-2 at 3:41. The Tomahawks third period rally began when Reinholz picked up his second goal of the game as his shot hit off the crossbar and bounced into the net at 7:50. Jordan Watt and Shane Cuckovich then scored 35 seconds apart to tie the game at 5.
After a scoreless overtime period, Topeka got shootout goals from James Ring, Poulsen, and Mike Gornall, while shots from Johnstown’s Shane Bednard, Collin Finkhouse, and Matthew Meier were stopped by Wojtala.
Wojtala picked up the win stopping 20 of 25 shots and all three shots he faced in the shootout. Colin DeAugustine took the loss after coming in to replace Brett Young in the third period. He stopped five of the six shots he faced and allowed three goals in the shootout.
The Tomahawks and RoadRunners kept the penalties to a minimum with Johnstown going 1-for-2 on the power play and Topeka going 1-for-4.
The Tomahawks will take on the Aberdeen Wings tomorrow at 11:30 a.m. (EST) before finishing their showcase schedule against Bismarck Saturday morning at 10:30 a.m. (EST).