JOHNSTOWN – The Johnstown Tomahawks (12-11-4) were defeated by the Maine Nordiques (18-7-2) by a final score of 4-1 in Johnstown on Saturday, December 6th. The Tomahawks goal was off the stick of the captain Nick Jarmain for his team-leading 19th of the season to tie the game early into the 2nd period. Maine was led by goaltender Matthew Wood who made 22 of 23 saves for the win. Jack Klevby scored twice for his 12th and 13th goals of the season.
Eerily similar to last night, the Tomahawks were given a chance on the power play almost immediately to begin the night after Maine was sent off after just a couple of seconds. The man-advantage stayed cold though, despite some pretty solid setup and zone time and the momentum was quickly in favor of the Nordiques once again. It was a much faster pace than last night through the first 10-minutes with just a couple of whistles and a lot of pace to the game. The time continued to tick away through the blisteringly fast first period with not much to show for in the way of scoring chances on either side. With about seven minutes to play in the opening period, Hawks goaltender Zack Ferris was tested for the first time as he made a stellar glove save off of a broken play to keep the score nodded at zero. In another deja vu like moment from last night, Maine was sent to their first power play of the night and made no mistake striking for the 1-0 lead. The special teams battle through the weekend’s first four periods was dominated by the Nordiques and it was evident. The Tomahawks were given another chance on the power play late in the period with just 35 seconds to play. The two teams headed for the break with Maine leading 1-0 and leading the shots on goal advantage by a total of 10-4.
The second period began with the carry over penalty time and despite not scoring on the power play, Nick Jarmain did end up finding the back of the net just seconds after it expired to give some much needed life to the home crowd and his bench. Shane Tronoski and Kirby Perler were credited with the assists. The second period continued in the same style as most of the first, with a lot of back and forth play making the time tick off quickly. Late in the period, the physicality continued to ramp up with a couple of spirited hits and board battles but the style of play didn’t swing in the Tomahawks favor much as Sean Morgan was sent off for holding with 6:30 to play. The discipline from both teams was impressive on a night where the physicality was continuing to build. Through two periods we’ve only seen five penalties called, a feat that’s been achieved in a five-minute span alone during several games this season. Through 40 minutes, the score was deadlocked at 1-1 and the Nordiques were still holding a 16-11 shots on goal advantage.
Never mind the stakes of last night’s third period, the third period on Saturday was bound to be ever important in the East Division race. Much of the first 10-minutes of the third were played the same way as the whole night transpired thus far, but you could sense the heightened nerves in the building because of the 1-1 score. Maine showcased why they’re sitting as the #2 seed in the East with their ability to play many different styles of hockey. They were able to tread water and keep themselves in the tie game for 40+ minutes and then with nine minutes to play, saw their opportunity and exploded for three goals in just 2 minutes and 12 seconds to take a commanding 4-1 lead. The third and fourth goals were purely momentum driven as they found the back of the net in rather unusual fashion. The Hawks suddenly found themselves in a 4-1 hole and not a whole lot going their way, the final five minutes began to get chippy with several coincidental penalties assessed. Action came to a close on Saturday night with the Tomahawks having just two goals to their name through their last 12+ periods of play. Final shots on goal for the game were in favor of Maine by a total of 27-23.
Your Johnstown Tomahawks will hit the road this coming weekend to take on the same Maine Nordiques team this time on their home ice looking to gain some much needed ground in the East Division. Action will begin on Friday, December 12th at 7:30PM from Norway Savings Bank Arena in Auburn, Maine. Get your tickets for the next home stand
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
