JOHNSTOWN – Cullen Emery scored the lone goal as the Johnstown Tomahawks (30-23-3) were defeated by the Maryland Black Bears (35-16-4) in regulation by a score of 5-1 on Friday, April 4th at 1ST SUMMIT Arena.
The pregame festivities ended, and action got underway in Johnstown after nearly a month since the last homestand. Big stakes loomed heading into the weekend as the battle for the 4th place spot in the East was going to be settled by the conclusion of Saturday night’s game. The path to 4th place was clear for the Hawks; sweep the Maryland Black Bears while Rochester must also sweep the New Jersey Titans.
There was no time wasted in the 1st period, as things got off to a blistering start with a noticeable energy from both sides. The Black Bears didn’t just bring their game, they brought their A+ game, dominating possession and even drawing the first penalty. Although halfway through the period both teams were held off the scoresheet, Maryland finally broke through with 8:00 remaining after sustaining immense pressure in the Tomahawks zone to make it 1-0.
Hoping to stir up some momentum of their own, the Hawks drew a holding call just one minute later to head to their first man-advantage. After coming up empty on that power-play, Maryland would snatch the momentum they had right back and took a 2-0 lead after a point shot found its way through Nick Avakyan. The chippiness continued from both sides to close the frame, but after 20 minutes the scales were definitely tipped in the Black Bear’s favor. Shots after the first were in the Tomahawks favor at an 11-10 total.
Putting yourself in a 2-0 hole against any team will be a tough deficit to spring back from. Coming back against Maryland is an entirely different beast. The 2nd period got underway and before all the fans could even get back in their seats, Maryland tripled their lead making it 3-0 after just 28 seconds.
The Tomahawks needed to get a handle on the game, and they needed it to happen fast. Credit due to Maryland however, as they continued the pressure and control as they struck once again to make this one ugly at 4-0 through almost 30 minutes.
With just 6:00 to play in the period, Cullen Emery would finally breakthrough for the Tomahawks after a few ugly bounces in front of the Maryland net to make it a 3-goal game. The goal was unassisted. The teams went to the 2nd break with the Hawks still leading the shot-on-goal market by a total of 19-18 but still facing a hefty 4-1 deficit.
The 3rd period started out the same way as the 2nd period did, with an early Maryland goal. This one coming even quicker – just seven seconds in, after a crazy caram off the back wall making it 5-1.
Maryland’s plan for the last 15:00 of action was going to be to just continue their domination of play. There were still another 70+ minutes of hockey to be played in the next 24 hours. It’s rare that you see a regular season game that features almost every minute being played with an almost playoff-style level of physicality but that’s what transpired. It’s a good test for the Hawks as the playoffs approach though, but a better effort will be required to come out on top tomorrow night.
The minutes felt like they were bleeding off the clock to close out the 3rd period with the Tomahawks failing to generate much of anything in the way of excitement.
The shots on goal for the contest were dead even at 28 a-piece. Maryland skated out with the emphatic 5-1 victory.
The Tomahawks are back home at 1ST SUMMIT Arena tomorrow night on April 5th, for the final game of the regular season as they host the Maryland Black Bears. Secure your tickets anytime at www.johnstowntomahawks.com or visit the Tomahawks Main Office, open Monday through Friday from 10 AM to 4 PM. If you can’t make it to the game, catch all the action live on NATV.COM. Stay connected with your Johnstown Tomahawks by following us on social media @tomahawkshockey.
BY: DREW P. PFEIL | drew@johnstowntomahawks.com