PHILADELPHIA – The Johnstown Tomahawks (9-7-3) were victorious in a shootout and captured the 2-1 win on Saturday, November 8th versus the Philadelphia Rebels (7-11-3). Kacper Gach scored his first goal as a Tomahawk to tie the game late and force overtime. Shane Tronoski scored the lone goal in the shootout for the Tomahawks and Zack Ferris made 27 saves on 28 shots and made three straight stops in the shootout.
After a disappointing 4–1 loss on Friday night, the Tomahawks were in need of a strong response to get back to the brand of hockey they showed earlier in the season. Sitting in the middle of the division standings, the defeat allowed the Rebels to close the gap to just three points, tightening the race from sixth to ninth place. As has been the trend in recent games, the opening period lacked much action on the scoreboard, but the Tomahawks put together a solid start and established a good foundation to build on. Saturday’s rematch featured the same goaltending matchup as the night before — Zack Ferris for Johnstown and Ben Varsa for Philadelphia. With two minutes remaining in the first period, both teams were assessed coincidental roughing minors, but neither side could capitalize. The Tomahawks outshot the Rebels 12–7 in the opening frame, sending the game to the first intermission scoreless.
Carrying over some of the frustration from Friday’s game and a scoreless first period, the Tomahawks were eager to strike first — something that’s felt elusive in recent weeks. However, the Rebels continued their strong play and broke the deadlock just over five minutes into the second period, taking a 1–0 lead. The middle frame saw the intensity ramp up with more physicality and penalty calls. Just a minute after conceding, the Tomahawks were sent to the box and leaned on their penalty kill to keep the deficit at one. The PK unit delivered, and soon after, Johnstown’s power play got its first chance of the night — but Ben Varsa stood tall once again to deny the opportunity. Moments later, the Tomahawks were caught with too many men on the ice, a costly and undisciplined penalty that gave the Rebels another chance to add to their lead. Both teams traded penalties the rest of the way, with Philadelphia heading back to the box for slashing late in the period, but Johnstown’s power play continued to come up empty despite generating better looks and some offensive rhythm. The Rebels’ lone goal early in the second held up through 40 minutes, sending the game to the intermission with Philadelphia ahead 1–0. Shots after two periods favored Johnstown, 24–19.
Entering the third period, the Tomahawks were staring down 65 straight minutes without a goal — a drought stretching back to Friday night’s game. In one of their most important periods of the season, they didn’t get the start they wanted, taking another penalty just three minutes in. Goaltender Zach Ferris and the penalty kill held firm once again, keeping it a 1–0 game. A few minutes later, Johnstown earned its third power play of the night but couldn’t solve Ben Varsa, who continued to shut the door. Still, the Tomahawks began to tilt the ice in their favor, generating more zone time and quality looks, though the score remained unchanged as the clock wound under five minutes to play — now over 80 plus minutes of hockey without finding the back of the net. That finally changed when one of the newest Tomahawks, Kacper Gach, delivered in the clutch. After a strong forecheck and a clean pass to the high slot from Alex Gomes, Gach fired a shot over Varsa’s glove to tie the game at one and breathe life back into the Johnstown bench. The Tomahawks continued to press late, but neither side could break through before the horn, sending the game to overtime for the third time in the last four contests.
The normally thrilling 3-on-3 overtime period began with the Tomahawks starting in possession. They managed some early puck control but struggled to maintain it for long stretches, allowing the Rebels to generate a few quality looks of their own. While overtime often features a flurry of odd-man rushes and breakaways, this one carried a different tone — a tense, chess-like pace with limited high-danger chances. By the midway point of the extra frame, it began to feel inevitable that another shootout was on the horizon.
For the second straight Saturday night, the Tomahawks were the visiting team and opened up the shootout. First up was last weekend’s hero, Charlie Zetterkvist, but he was turned away by Varsa. Philadelphia’s first shooter was also denied by Zach Ferris, keeping things scoreless. Next, Kalib Capecci took his turn for Johnstown but couldn’t convert, while Ferris stood tall once again to shut down the Rebels’ second attempt. In the final round, Shane Tronoski stepped up and executed a slick forehand-backhand move, lifting the puck over Varsa’s pad to give the Tomahawks a 1–0 advantage. All that remained was one more stop from Ferris — and he delivered. With another flawless shootout performance, Ferris went 3-for-3 and secured a much-needed 2–1 win for Johnstown. Final shots on goal favored the Tomahawks, 39–28, as they earned a gutsy bounce-back victory to close out the weekend.
Your Johnstown Tomahawks will be BACK at home this coming weekend! Action kicks off on Friday, November 14th as we kick off Military Appreciation Weekend! Puck drop for Friday’s game versus the Elmira Aviators will take place at 7:30PM. Get your tickets RIGHT NOW for the 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