JOHNSTOWN – The Johnstown Tomahawks (18-19-7) were defeated by the Elmira Aviators (16-19-8) by a score of 6-4 on Friday night at 1ST SUMMIT ARENA in Johnstown. Nick Jarmain, Jack Sullivan, Kirby Perler, and Charlie Zetterkvist were the goalscorers for Johnstown. The Aviators battled back from a 3-0 deficit halfway through the 2nd period and rattled off six of the next seven goals. Zack Ferris made 23 saves in the loss, while Aiden McKenna made 27 saves for the victory.
Friday night’s action got off to quite the slow start, especially through the opening five minutes, with frequent stoppages as both teams tried to find their rhythm. Elmira even sent the puck out of play twice in their own zone, giving the crowd some time to settle in. Just over six minutes into the first period, Nick Jarmain scored his 25th goal of the season. Emerson Marshall started the play, finding Sean Morgan, whose pass off the pad shot landed perfectly on Jarmain’s stick for a tap-in. The captain’s goal sparked momentum for the Hawks, who continued to generate chances and control play over the next several minutes. With just two minutes remaining in the period, Elmira had managed only four shots on goal, and Zack Ferris was rarely tested as the Hawks’ seemed to enter the offensive zone with ease. Jarmain’s tally stood as the lone goal of the period, sending the game to the second with the Hawks leading 1–0 and holding a 8–7 edge in shots.
The second period opened with Tomahawks defenseman Connor Griffin being assessed a checking-from-behind penalty, along with a 10-minute misconduct, sending him to the box for an extended stretch. The Hawks’ came up with a strong penalty kill to steady things a bit and regain some momentum. Shortly after, Elmira was headed to the box again after Evan Dantas was called for his second penalty of the night. Just over a minute into the advantage, Jack Sullivan worked his way untouched through the slot and scored while falling to his knees for his sixth of the season, with Nick Jarmain picking up the assist to make it 2–0. The Hawks kept pressing and struck again less than a minute later as “usual” defensive defenseman Kirby Perler joined the rush, took a feed from the captain, and buried just his second goal of the year to extend the lead to 3–0 late in the period. Everything seemed to be going right for the Tomahawks through 35 minutes but Elmira did answer quickly, however, capitalizing just 20 seconds later after a mishap behind the net between Zack Ferris and his defensemen, to get on the board and swing momentum. Over the next five minutes, they added a power-play goal from their leading scorer, Matt Maglio to pull within one. Then, with just 30 seconds remaining in the period, Corson McGuire—recently acquired from Rochester—scored to tie the game 3–3, completing a rapid three-goal surge and sending the teams to the second intermission even, but Elmira carrying boatloads of momentum. It was a spirited response from Elmira that set up a wide-open final frame. Shots in the second period were 14–8 in Elmira’s favor, giving them a 21–16 edge through two periods.
Despite squandering the 3–0 lead, the Tomahawks earned an early opportunity in the third when Shawn Lappierre was sent off for tripping just 3:46 into the period, putting a Tomahawks power play that had already broken through earlier in the game back to work. Instead, a misplay at the offensive blue line led to a long shorthanded breakaway for Jake Baratta, who finished the chance despite a strong back-check from Nick Metelkin, lifting the puck over Ferris to give Elmira their first lead of the night in a major momentum swing that has been brewing since the end of the second period. To their credit, the Hawks responded. Charlie Zetterkvist tied the game at 4–4 with his 18th of the season, finishing a beautiful setup from newly acquired forward Ethan Rosenoff with 12 minutes remaining, setting up an exciting finish in front of the crowd at 1st Summit Arena. Elmira answered right back once again however, as Kevin Delaney scored his second of the season with nine minutes left to restore the lead at 5–4. Johnstown pushed late, but their chances took a hit when Emerson Marshall was assessed an unsportsmanlike penalty for abuse of officials with 2:22 remaining, forcing the Hawks onto the penalty kill in a critical moment. As expected, Elmira capitalized, scoring just 30 seconds into the power play to extend the lead to 6–4 and effectively seal the game with 1:49 to play. Final shots on goal favored Johnstown 31–29, including a 15–8 edge in the third period, but the late push fell short, leading to another disappointing loss on home ice.
Your Johnstown Tomahawks will be back in action tomorrow night as we will host the Aviators once again for a crucial East showdown. Saturday nights action will begin at 7:30! The first 200 Hawks’ fans who enter the building will get a special Valentine’s carnation. Get your tickets for tomorrow night NOW 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.