The Tomahawks travel to the NAHL Showcase this week in Blaine, Minn., looking to get their first win of the season. The showcase features all 24 NAHL teams, playing four games over four days. Over 5,000 fans, including 300+ scouts attend the showcase each season.
The Tomahawks open the showcase Wednesday evening against the Aberdeen Wings. The Wings finished last season with 80 points (38-18-4), one point behind first-place Austin in the central division. The Tomahawks defeated the Wings 3-0 in last season’s showcase.
Johnstown opens Thursday’s slate of games against the Topeka Roadrunners. Topeka was the south division runner-up in the regular season, but won the division title in the postseason. The Roadrunners fell in the Robertson Cup Semifinals to the Austin Bruins. The Tomahawks fell to Topeka 6-5 in last season’s showcase, with the teams advancing to a shootout.
The Tomahawks Friday opponent is the Bruins, who are the Robertson Cup runners-up from last season. Austin won the division title in the regular season and the postseason, before being swept by the Fairbanks Ice Dogs in the Robertson Cup Finals. Austin defeated Johnstown 5-4 in overtime during the 2012 showcase.
Johnstown finishes up the showcase on Saturday taking on the Odessa Jackalopes for the first time. Odessa finished last season with a 15-40-5 overall record. The Jackalopes begin their fourth season in the league this week, with their best season (27-28-5) coming in their inaugural season.
All NAHL Showcase games can be viewed on www.fasthockey.com. Live stats are also available on www.nahl.com. You can also find updates from the showcase by liking our official Facebook and Twitter pages.