JOHNSTOWN, PA — The Johnstown Tomahawks (8-5-3) had their six-game winning streak snapped by the Northeast Generals (11-4-2) on Saturday night after falling 5-2. Charlie Zetterkvist was the only goal scorer for the Tomahawks scoring his fourth and fifth of the season. Luc Beauparlant was between the pipes for Johnstown and made 31 saves. Keagin Wilson responded nicely for the Generals, turning aside 27 Tomahawks shots for his seventh win of the season.
After a successful stretch of hockey over the last couple of weeks, the Tomahawks knew they were going to be faced with another tough divisional test on Saturday night as they took on the Northeast Generals looking to complete their third straight weekend sweep. After playing a strong 60-minutes on Friday night but ending up with no points to show for it, it was no surprise the Generals were going to come out with a vengeance. The opening period featured plenty of back and forth action, with both teams finding the back of the net early and the physicality picking up as the frame progressed. Northeast struck first at the 14:46 mark, but Charlie Zetterkvist responded just over two minutes later to even things up at 1-1. Zetterkvist’s fourth goal in as many games since returning to Johnstown came at the 12:13 mark with assists from Ryan Tartaglione and Jack Peterka. The Generals regained the lead with just over five minutes remaining before adding a power-play goal to extend their advantage to 3-1. Northeast continued to capitalize on their opportunities and added a back-breaking shorthanded goal with just over two minutes left in the period to take a commanding 4-1 lead into the first intermission. After a relatively strong start, the period seemed to slip away from the Tomahawks and the Generals were in full command, also leading the shots on goal advantage at 13-7.
The second period saw the Tomahawks continue to battle as they looked to chip away at the Generals’ lead but Northeast added another goal just over a minute into the frame to extend their advantage to 5-1, putting Johnstown in an even deeper hole. The Hawks did continue to generate chances offensively, however, and found a much-needed response with just over a minute and a half remaining in the period. Charlie Zetterkvist scored his second of the night with a power-play goal with 1:34 remaining, assisted by Jacob Ingstrup and Conor Griffin. Zetterkvist’s fifth goal of the season gave the Tomahawks some life heading into the second intermission, but with still plenty of ground to make up with the score sitting at 5-2.
The third period got underway and with still 20-minutes on their side, it was still set to be a tall task to forge a comeback. Northeast did a good job of limiting the Hawks’ opportunities and protecting its three-goal advantage. Johnstown continued to battle throughout the final twenty minutes, but neither team was able to find the back of the net as the Generals continued their strong forecheck and pressure to hold on and secure the 5-2 victory. Northeast finished the night with a 36-29 advantage in shots on goal.
The Tomahawks will be back on the road for the first time in a month this coming weekend with a trip to Hollydell Ice Arena to take on the Philadelphia Rebels. Catch all of the action on NATV and stay up to date with our social media sites so you don’t miss any of the action!
BY: DREW PFEIL