JOHNSTOWN – The Johnstown Tomahawks (12-11-5) were defeated by the New Hampshire Mountain Kings (8-17-4) by a final score of 3-2 in a shootout in Johnstown on Friday, December 19th. The Tomahawks got goals from Emerson Marshall and Nick Metelkin. Zack Ferris was steady in net making 32 saves on 34 shots. Former Tomahawks forward Jaden Johnson scored a shorthanded goal to force OT.
Coming off an emotional but exceptional weekend in Maine, the Tomahawks returned home to 1st Summit Arena looking to build on that momentum and collect four more points in the East Division standings. Friday night’s matchup against the East Division’s last-place Mountain Kings opened up at a crawling pace through the first few minutes, but it was New Hampshire that generated the game’s first prime opportunity, capitalizing on a Tomahawks turnover in the slot that barely missed the low blocker side of Zack Ferris and kept the game scoreless. Just under 10 minutes in, the Tomahawks were forced to face some early adversity as Kirby Perler was assessed a five-minute major and game misconduct for cross-checking. Perler, who is one of the steadiest forces on the Tomahawks blue line, obviously left a hole for the Hawks backend, but a good coaching decision by Adam Houli dressing seven defensemen, allowed the Hawks to still roll three pairs of defense seamlessly. The play seemed to not carry any ill intent, but it nonetheless sent New Hampshire to an extended power play with a chance to seize control early. Two minutes into the advantage, the Mountain Kings were whistled for a penalty of their own, shifting play to a four-on-four scenario and taking all the momentum out of their hands. Despite the lack of scoring through the opening 10 minutes, the pace remained solid. The Tomahawks were able to beat the goaltender, but not the post on two quality chances, signaling how close they were to breaking through. New Hampshire, despite its place in the standings, dictated the early style of play and managed to keep the Hawks off the board and out of their end for the majority of the opening period. The Tomahawks were inches away from tying the game late in the frame when Shane Tronoski was denied on a highlight-reel save after receiving a slick feed from Jack Genovese off the forecheck. Between the two posts and the denial, the opening period could’ve been attributed to some bad-luck for the home team. New Hampshire carried a 1–0 lead into the first intermission while holding a 12–9 edge in shots on goal.
The second period opened with an uptick in physicality from both sides. Just over five minutes in, a scrum to the left of Zack Ferris in the Tomahawks’ zone resulted in three penalties being assessed. What initially appeared to be coincidental minors ultimately worked in the Tomahawks’ favor, as New Hampshire was called for both roughing and cross-checking, while the Hawks received only a roughing minor. That sent the Tomahawks to their second power play of the night with a prime opportunity to even the score, but the Mountain Kings’ penalty kill once again stood tall. Moments later, the Tomahawks were tested on the penalty kill when Kalib Capecci was sent off for interference with 8:34 remaining in the period. Sparking a massive special teams turning point in the game, Emerson Marshall electrified the building with a 160-foot, end-to-end shorthanded rush, burying the Tomahawks’ first goal of the night to tie the game at 1–1 and inject life into both the bench and the crowd. The goal also rewarded the fans seated in Section 5 with a free Firehouse Subs sandwich. Marshall has now given his loyal fans a free Big Mac, and a free sub on the season. Even after getting the tying goal, discipline continued to be an issue as Will Stewart was whistled for slashing just minutes later, giving New Hampshire another chance to respond on the power play. From there, both penalty kills found their stride, while goaltending and defensive play took center stage for the remainder of the period. The Tomahawks earned one more late power-play opportunity when New Hampshire was called for too many men on the ice, but the score remained tied heading into the second intermission. New Hampshire held a 9–6 edge in shots during the period, extending their overall advantage to 22–17.
The stakes loomed large in the third period as the Tomahawks found themselves locked in a 1–1 contest against a Mountain Kings team that entered Friday night riding an 11-game losing streak. While the pace remained decent, the period lacked sustained offensive flow, with sloppy play often leading to post-whistle scrums rather than quality chances. The Tomahawks’ power play continued to search for answers, as the first of three third-period opportunities came just five minutes in but failed to convert. Still, the pressure generated proved valuable moments later. Jack Roberts chipped the puck up the boards to a streaking Nick Metelkin, who broke in one-on-one, cut inside, and the left-shot forward snapped a shot back against the grain over the blocker of the southpaw Mountain Kings goaltender to give the Tomahawks a 2–1 lead midway through the period. Despite already scoring a shorthanded goal earlier in the night—often a sign of momentum swinging firmly in one direction over the course of a game—the Tomahawks couldn’t fully seize control. Immediately following the Metelkin goal, Johnstown had a chance to extend the lead further as New Hampshire was heading back to the kill but just as the power play was expiring, former Tomahawk Jaden Johnson jump-started a shorthanded breakaway and beat his old teammate Zack Ferris over the glove to tie the game at 2–2, giving both teams a shorthanded marker on the night, which is something you don’t see very often. Each side was assessed one more penalty before the end of regulation, but as has often been the case this season, neither team could find a late winner, sending the game to overtime.
The 3-on-3 overtime delivered end-to-end action and plenty of excitement for the Johnstown crowd, but strong goaltending and some misfortune with beat-up ice on both sides forced the game into a shootout. New Hampshire struck first, beating Ferris on the blocker side. Emerson Marshall led off for the Tomahawks but was turned aside. Ferris responded with a save on the Mountain Kings’ second attempt. Charlie Zetterkvist got on the board in Round 2 for the Hawks but New Hampshire answered once more on its third shooter. Tomahawks newcomer Will Stewart was called upon in a must-score situation but despite a slick move to the backhand that beat the goaltender, the puck just barely slid off his stick, sealing a 3–2 shootout victory for the Mountain Kings. Final shots on goal favored New Hampshire, 34–22.