JOHNSTOWN – The Johnstown Tomahawks (26-20-3) defeated the Elmira Aviators (18-28-3) by a score of 4-3 in regulation on Friday night at 1ST SUMMIT Arena in Johnstown, PA. Dylan Shane scored the game-winning goal with 1:13 left in regulation and Will Baker stopped 14-14 shots he faced in relief during his Tomahawks debut.
Friday night’s festivities got off to a special start as Tomahawks captain Dylan Shane was honored in front of the home crowd for breaking the Tomahawks all-time record for games played. Last weekend, Shane suited up for his 168th game in a Tomahawks sweater so before we could get to any hockey, a celebration was certainly in order.
The Tomahawks who have been playing stellar hockey as of late, got off to the start they were looking for as they struck first just three minutes in to gain the 1-0 lead. The goal was setup by some clinical passing from Caden Olenczak and Adam Csabi in the Elmira zone, which led to Adam Ondris getting it past the Aviator goaltender for his 22nd of the season.
After striking first and registering the first seven shots of the game, the Hawks were clearly having their way with Elmira through the first half of the period, dominating play and even killing off the first penalty of the game after Lukas Klemm was sent to the box for hooking.
Using some of the momentum from the penalty-kill, Charlie Zetterkvist decided to start his bid for back-to-back East Division Star of The Week as he doubled the Tomahawks lead making it 2-0. The assists on the goal were credited to Dylan Shane and Dallas Potter.
With things starting to look rather grim after just 10 minutes, the Aviators needed the next goal if they were to have much of a chance to get back in the game. They got their chance with about 8:00 to play in the first and didn’t make any mistake capitalizing off of some Hawks’ miscommunication in the defensive zone and made it a one-goal game at 2-1.
The 1st period came to a close with the score still in favor of the Hawks at 2-1.
After 20 minutes, the Tomahawks were clearly the better team. It was up to them now to determine the outcome of the remaining 40 minutes. The next goal in the game was going to be huge no matter which color jersey got it. However, the Tomahawks were able to regain their two-goal lead just four-minutes in after a perfectly executed 3-on-1 from Hawks’ forwards Nick White and Nick Jarmain with defenseman Caden Olenczak-who had joined the rush and finished it off into the wide-open cage.
Elmira actually controlled the shots-on-goal advantage in the first ten-minutes 12-4. Shots don’t usually tend to tell the whole story in a hockey game and that remained true tonight. The Tomahawks were still playing a better 2nd period than the Aviators, generating numerous high-danger chances but coming up a few inches wide of the cage on a few occasions.
In a display of what makes hockey the exciting and unpredictable game that it is, Elmira completely turned this game upside down getting two quick goals in a span of 1:07 to tie the game at 3-3. Following the sudden push from the Aviators, the Hawks made a change between the pipes, thus thrusting Will Baker into his first ever game-action with the Tomahawks in a tight 3-3 game. Baker did a good job of calming things down and getting himself acquainted with the situation at hand, as he kept the puck out of the net for the remaining five-minutes of the period. Elmira carried an absurd 19-6 2nd period shot-advantage to the break with a whole new game on our hands heading to the final 20-minutes of play.
It was hard to determine what style of play we would get in the 3rd period after an up and down first 40 minutes. The Tomahawks had just gotten punched in the mouth as they left the “second round” and they were going to have to play a very strong 20-minutes to get the two-points. Through 12:00 minutes of play, things took a playoff game style turn with neither team registering much in the way of chances. With the East playoff race starting to heat up, it almost seemed as though both teams wanted to just survive and secure the guaranteed point, given the game would reach overtime.
With time dwindling in regulation, I’m sure that every fan in the building was thinking they were going to end up seeing some free hockey to begin their weekend. But on a night that kicked off with an honorary celebration of his storied Tomahawks career thus far, Hawks’ captain Dylan Shane added another page to the book. Shane scored the go-ahead goal with just 1:13 to play off an assist from Cullen Emery. The goal was easily one of the plays of the season in front of the home crowd, given the emotion and story behind it. Although normally present, Shane’s offensive abilities tend to take a backseat to his defensive mindset and leadership skills, so it must have felt great for the team to see their leader essentially win the game for them.
It could also be argued that Will Baker won the Tomahawks the contest with his stellar job of coming in relief between the pipes. Baker stopped all 14 of the Elmira shots that were sent his way, even helping to kill off a penalty with just 0:30 to play, propelling the Hawks to the 4-3 regulation victory.
Don’t forget—Saturday night is Pucks and Paws! Bring your furry friends for a night of hockey fun. Join us on Saturday at 7 PM for all the action. Get your tickets anytime at www.johnstowntomahawks.com and stay connected by following us on social media @tomahawkshockey. Can’t make it to the game? Watch every Tomahawks matchup live on NATV!
BY: DREW P. PFEIL | drew@johnstowntomahawks.com