Nichols, Wild Defeat Tomahawks, 3-1, Friday Night
By Ed Sheets
Wenatchee took advantage of two first period goals and Robert Nichols stopped 22 of 23 shots as the Wild defeated the Tomahawks, 3-1, in a physical game Friday night at the Cambria County War Memorial Arena.
Nichols earned his 27th win, tying him with Hunter Leisner of Texas for the league lead. The win was also his 7th straight. Chris Truehl took the loss, stopping 20 of 23 shots.
Both teams were strong on the penalty kill, as the Tomahawks and Wild went a combined 11-for- 11. Johnstown (22-17-10) also got its second shorthanded goal of the season when Mitch Hall scored early in the second period. The Tomahawks have scored both their shorthanded goals against Wenatchee (34-7-4), the first being scored by Andrew McDonald in the 4-3 victory over the Wild on Nov. 30.
For the 27th time this season, Wenatchee got on the board first as Trace Redman deflected the puck past Truehl at 3:11 of the first period.
Jacob Barber extended the Wenatchee lead with a goal at 12:00. Barber has scored four goals in three games against Johnstown.
Johnstown got on the board early in the second period when Mitch Hall scored the shorthanded goal. The goal extended Hall’s scoring streak to four games (2-2-4). Cody Gyllling assisted on the goal giving him his 14th point in his last 10 games (8-6-14).
Joe Sullivan set the final score with his goal at 9:31 of the second period.
As the third period began, the lone fight of the game featured Gylling and Chris Ferr in front of the Johnstown bench.
The win is Wenatchee’s sixth straight overall and ninth straight on the road. They are now 25-1-1 when scoring first and 21-0-1 when leading after two periods.
The Tomahawks are 3-2-0 against West Division opponents, with both losses coming against Wenatchee.
The Tomahawks conclude their weekend series with Wenatchee on Saturday night at 7 P.M. before welcoming the Fresno Monsters to the War Memorial Feb. 22 and 23. Both games begin at 7 P.M.