JOHNSTOWN – The Johnstown Tomahawks (19-19-7) defeated the Elmira Aviators (16-20-8) in regulation by a score of 4-2 on Saturday night at 1st Summit Arena in Johnstown, PA. Jack Genovese, Charlie Zetterkvist, and Justin Chiras scored second period goals for Johnstown and captain Nick Jarmain went on to seal the deal with an empty netter late in the third period. Nikita Oleksiienko was back between the pipes for Johnstown and was steady as usual, picking up his eighth win of the season, making 31 saves on 33 shots. Aiden McKenna got the back to back starts for Elmira and played pretty well, despite the loss, making 31 saves on 34 shots.
The Valentine’s Day action got off to a pretty good start for Johnstown as they were sent to the power play just 57 seconds into the game after Elmira’s Andrew Horn was sent off for tripping. Unfortunately the Hawks couldn’t use the early opportunity to their advantage and sent the game back to 5-on-5 early. The majority of the first period played out in quite the back and forth style, with both teams trading a ton of chances. The shot totals through half the period were high for both teams at double digits each. Flipping the script from last night, Elmira scored the game’s first goal with about four and a half minutes remaining in the period. Despite being down one after the first, the Hawks’ played a solid period and definitely earned some chances. Shots on goal after the first period were in favor of Elmira at 16 to 13.
The energy inside 1st Summit Arena began to pick up as we kicked off the second period as the 2,000+ in attendance came to life after Jack Genovese broke through just two minutes into the period. Emerson Marshall recorded the assist on the play. The second period was also the beginning of the parade to the penalty box for both teams as Jack Sullivan was sent off for a trip with 12 minutes to play in the period. The Hawks’ penalty kill was strong, killing it off with the help of strong defense and Nikita Oleksiienko staying composed in net. With just under six-minutes remaining the Hawks were heading to a power play of their own, and it was Charlie Zetterkvist who sifted one through traffic that found the back of the net thanks to a great screen from defenseman Sean Morgan who has been excelling in the net-front role on the power play as of late. The goal gave the Hawks their first lead of the night at 2-1. Emerson Marshall and Jack Genovese both grabbed assists on the goal for their second point each of the night. Elmira did a phenomenal job of responding to tie the game as Corson Maguire scored off a wicked wrister from just inside the Hawks blue line. Just minutes prior to the goal, Maguire was awarded a penalty shot on Oleksiienko as the puck was claimed to be covered with a hand inside the Tomahawks blue paint from the official. The call was certainly a questionable one as Coach Adam Houli wanted to plead his case but nothing doing. Oleksiienko stood tall turning aside the penalty shot. The last five minutes of the period continued to be an eventful stretch as just a minute and 20 seconds later, the Hawks were sent back to the power play which was hot, and they continued to be as Justin Chiras scored his first goal of the season to get the Hawks the lead right back making it 3-2 late in the frame. Shots in the second period were 12-9 in favor of Johnstown bringing the game total to an even 25-25 after 40 minutes.
The third period got underway and once again the Hawks were given an early chance on the man-advantage as Matt Maglio was sent off for elbowing, allowing the chance for Johnstown to extend the lead to two. A minute into the power play, both teams were sent off for roughing but the Hawks still remained on the power play for another minute or so. However, after just 30 seconds, Will Stewart was sent off for unsportsmanlike conduct, putting things back to even strength for the next 30 seconds followed by an abbreviated Elmira power play. The penalty kill was exquisite all night, getting to pucks quick and getting the puck down the sheet of ice smartly. Nikita Oleksiienko made several tough saves look rather easy throughout the night and it continued and needed to, during the final stretch of the game. The Aviators were gifted another chance to tie the game with about half the period left to play as the Hawks were sloppily caught with too-many players on the ice. A lot of the same continued for the Hawks defensively and they earned another crucial kill. There were moments in the third period that probably made fans think a collapse would follow, but the Hawks did a great job of sticking to their game to play with and preserve the lead. With just two minutes to play, Elmira had an upcoming offensive zone face-off and decided to use their timeout to talk strategy as they looked for the tying goal. Action began shortly thereafter and with the Elmira net empty for the extra attacker, it didn’t take long for Nick Jarmain to bury the insurance marker after Charlie Zetterkvist narrowly missed from 120+ feet, sealing the deal at 4-2 for Johnstown earning a huge two points in the standings.
(Some) of your Tomahawks will be back in action TOMORROW as they travel to Michigan for the NAHL Top Prospects Tournament. Support Charlie Zetterkvist, Nick Jarmain, Nick Metelkin, and Ben Norris (Midwest) by tuning into NATV on both Monday and Tuesday! Get your tickets for the next homestand on MAR 6-7 HERE 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.