JOHNSTOWN – The Johnstown Tomahawks (22-23-9) were defeated in a shootout by the New Hampshire Mountain Kings (22-24-8) by a score of 5-4 on an exciting Saturday night in Johnstown. The Tomahawks got scoring from Emerson Marshall, Justin Chiras, Charlie Zetterkvist and Sean Morgan, who scored his first goal of the season. The Mountain Kings were led by a two-goal night from Aidan Petroff and some strong goaltending from Jason Cai, who made 33 saves for the victory.
Saturday night’s contest got off to a bit of a slow start, but New Hampshire did ring one off the pipe just two minutes in, putting the Hawks on their heels early. Not long after, Emerson Marshall capitalized on a partial breakaway, burying the game’s opening goal to ignite the crowd and give the Tomahawks a 1–0 lead. Sean Morgan and Sean Leetch picked up the assists. The opening period carried quite the physical edge, and the Hawks extended their lead on their first power play of the night as Justin Chiras fired a wrist shot from the point just before the penalty expired to make it 2–0, with Charlie Zetterkvist and Jack Genovese assisting. New Hampshire responded just 20 seconds later, as Aidan Petroff netted his 16th of the season to cut it to 2–1. The intensity continued, and after another power play opportunity, Sean Morgan buried his first goal of the season from the net-front role to restore the two-goal lead at 3–1. Johnstown carried that advantage into the first intermission along with a 14–9 edge in shots.
The second period presented a prime opportunity for the Tomahawks to take control, but New Hampshire struck early, as Petroff scored again for his second of the night just six seconds into a carryover power play to make it 3–2. Despite surrendering the goal, Johnstown responded with a strong frame, controlling in the New Hampshire zone for much of the period and generated several quality chances, including several backdoor looks and tap-ins that just weren’t connecting. The Mountain Kings’ goaltender played a key role in keeping his team within reach, and with just under four minutes remaining, Lucas Mann tied the game at 3. Even after being outscored 2–0 in the period, the Tomahawks still held a 26–16 advantage in shots through two periods after outshooting New Hampshire 12–6 in the middle period.
The third period couldn’t have started better for Johnstown, as Charlie Zetterkvist scored just 26 seconds in to give the Hawks a 4–3 lead, with Nick Metelkin and Ben Norris grabbing the assists on the goal. The early goal seemed to set the tone, but the game’s momentum remained fragile. At the midway point, Conor Griffin and Nico Pasquale dropped the gloves, energizing the crowd in one heck of a fight. The physicality only intensified from there, and with six minutes remaining, Lucas Mann and William Stewart were also sent off after another fight. Despite continued pressure, the Tomahawks were unable to find the much-needed insurance marker late. New Hampshire used its timeout with 1:45 to play and pushed with the extra attacker. After failing to convert on a 6-on-4 advantage after a late Tomahawks power play, they seized their moment shortly after the penalty expired, creating a 6-on-5 opportunity—and capitalized with just 17 seconds remaining to tie the game at four and forced overtime, securing a disappointing but crucial point in the process.
The overtime frame saw New Hampshire continue to carry much of the momentum, but the three-on-three session was relatively controlled and uneventful, with both teams playing smart and limiting high-risk chances. The game ultimately went to a shootout, where both goaltenders stood tall early. Zack Ferris made three consecutive saves to give the Hawks a chance to win it, but Emerson Marshall was denied by a sweet glove save from Cai. Former Tomahawk’s forward Jaden Johnson then gave New Hampshire the advantage, beating Ferris high on the blocker side with a nifty change-up style shot.. With the game on the line, Charlie Zetterkvist was turned aside, sealing the 5–4 shootout win for New Hampshire. Despite outshooting the Mountain Kings 37–27, the Tomahawks settled for a single point as New Hampshire completed a dramatic comeback for their sixth straight win. They erased two separate, two-goal deficits in the game and closed the gap in the East standings to just one point. A three point overall swing that changed with just 17 seconds remaining in regulation.
We will back tomorrow afternoon for the ONLY Sunday game of the season and it’s our annual Pucks and Paws game! Puck drop will be at 3:00PM. Get your tickets NOW at https://www.ticketmaster.com/johnstown-tomahawks-tickets/artist/1760594! Can’t make it to the Arena? Catch all the action on NATV