TOMAHAWKS FAIL TO SCORE IN 120+ MINUTES IN BACK TO BACK LOSSES VERSUS RIVAL NEW JERSEY TITANS

Nov 30, 2025

MIDDLETOWN – The Johnstown Tomahawks (12-10-3) were shutout again by the New Jersey Titans (15-7-3) by a score of 4-0 on Saturday, November 29th in Middletown, NJ. The Tomahawks were led by Zack Ferris between the pipes yet again who despite the loss, was sensational, turning aside 41 of 45 Titans shots. It was another former Tomahawks forward in Hudson Slenker who got the last laugh in this one as he potted the 4th and final goal of the game, leading the Titans to the victory. Titans rookie goaltender Andrei Nikolaev was certainly less busy, but nonetheless brilliant once again, turning aside the 13 shots he faced rather comfortably.

The opening frame flipped the script from the night before, as it took New Jersey less than a minute to find the scoresheet. Just 58 seconds in, a quick bang-bang play in front put the Titans ahead 1-0 and carried over all the momentum they built on Friday. What followed was a bizarre stretch that you’ll rarely see: two more New Jersey shots found the back of the net over the next four minutes—both were ultimately erased after review. The first disallowed tally came only seconds after the opener, when former Tomahawk Tate Pecknold slipped a puck through the five-hole, only for the net to be ruled dislodged by a Titans player before the puck crossed the line. A minute later, another New Jersey goal was wiped away for a high stick. Despite technically being scored on three times in the opening minutes, Johnstown somehow remained within striking distance. But the Titans kept pressing, and still inside the first five minutes, a high-slot shot beat Zack Ferris over the glove to make it 2–0—New Jersey’s fourth puck to find the back of the net in a chaotic start. Johnstown earned the period’s lone power play late, but the man-advantage continued to stay cold. After 20 minutes, New Jersey carried a commanding 16–4 edge in shots and a 2–0 lead into the intermission.

The middle frame offered a slight improvement for Johnstown, but the climb remained steep against a New Jersey team fully in control of its home ice. Five minutes in, the Tomahawks went to their first penalty kill of the night on a tripping call and managed to get through it cleanly. Momentum briefly swung their way when they earned a power play shortly after, but the man-advantage continued to come up empty. Discipline became a major issue as the period wore on. Back-to-back penalties for cross-checking and checking from behind put Johnstown down two men, with New Jersey joining them in the box moments later to make it a shortened 5-on-3. Once that kill ended, another tripping minor sent the Hawks right back to work. This time, the Titans capitalized almost immediately—just seven seconds into the power play—when Arseniy Zharikov buried a shot to stretch the lead to 3–0. It marked the third power-play goal allowed by Johnstown on the weekend, dropping their league-leading penalty-kill rate from elite territory at 94% into the high-80s. Things unraveled further off the ensuing faceoff, as the Tomahawks took consecutive unsportsmanlike conduct penalties, again from different players, handing New Jersey another extended 5-on-3. To their credit, the penalty kill held strong during that stretch, but the damage had already been done. Despite the pushback in moments, the second period was still tilted heavily against Johnstown both in vibes and on the stat sheet. The Titans carried a 3–0 lead and a commanding 29–11 shot advantage into the third.
 

Any hopes of a pushback evaporated early in the third. Just three minutes in, former Tomahawk Hudson Slenker—who appeared in a handful of games for Johnstown earlier this season—struck against his old team, burying his third goal in just six games with New Jersey to make it 4–0. It was a moment that clearly had to feel good for Slenker as he skated past the benches, and it put the Titans firmly out of reach. From there, frustration took over. Emerson Marshall was handed two penalties in a span of just over two minutes, then assessed another unsportsmanlike later in the period, ending his night early. The parade to the box continued as Kalib Capecci went off for cross-checking with seven minutes remaining, followed by two more Johnstown penalties in the final six minutes. Despite the chaos, the penalty kill stood tall and handled every assignment in the third. But with the team already facing a three-goal deficit, generating offense became nearly impossible. Johnstown managed only two shots on goal in the final frame while New Jersey piled up sixteen, a stat that summed up the night as well as anything. The Titans closed out a dominant 4–0 win—securing shutouts on consecutive nights—and finished with a commanding 45–13 advantage in shots on Saturday.

Your Johnstown Tomahawks will get a chance to rebound back at HOME this coming weekend as we take on the Maine Nordiques for a Friday/Saturday series. Friday night’s action will begin at 7:30PM. Get your tickets for the homestand https://www.ticketmaster.com/johnstown-tomahawks-tickets/artist/1760594. Catch all of the action on NAHLTV and follow our social media accounts @tomahawkshockey to keep in the loop. 

BY: DREW P. PFEIL