JOHNSTOWN – The Johnstown Tomahawks (22-23-8) were defeated for the second night in a row by the league-leading Maryland Black Bears (43-5-4) in a much tamer, but still thrilling showdown in Johnstown on Saturday night by a score of 4-2. The Tomahawks got goals from Ben Norris and defenseman Jack Sullivan. The Black Bears were led by Tanner Duncan who scored the game-winning third goal of the night. Nikita Oleksiienko was back between the pipes for Johnstown after a couple of weeks since his last appearance and he was solid despite the loss. Dom Gatto made the start for Maryland and was relatively untested until the final period, but made a total of 16 saves on 18 Tomahawks shots in the victory.
The Tomahawks — and their fans — certainly had reason to feel somewhat encouraged heading into Saturday night’s matchup with the Maryland Black Bears. Despite dropping Friday’s contest by just one goal, Johnstown mounted a determined late push in the third period and proved they could hang with the top team in the league. After nearly two hours worth of combined penalty minutes between the teams the night before, it’s safe to say not many inside 1st Summit Arena expected a penalty-free first period on Saturday night. But that’s exactly how the game began. The opening frame had a much different feel than Friday’s physical contest, with both teams playing structured hockey and trading possession through a steady back-and-forth pace. With 11:30 remaining in the first period, Maryland struck first once again. Sokrat Markarian buried his fifth goal of the season, finishing a play set up by Logan Deuling and Lachlan Bommer to give the Black Bears a 1–0 lead. Despite allowing the opening goal, the Hawks stayed invested and continued to play a strong period, preventing Maryland’s high-powered offense from building any additional momentum. Their patience paid off late in the frame as Ben Norris continued his hot stretch, scoring his eighth goal of the season off a feed from Emerson Marshall to tie the game 1–1 with just under two minutes left to play. The timely response sent the teams into the first intermission deadlocked for the second straight night. Maryland controlled much of the play in the opening twenty minutes and carried an 11–4 advantage in shots on goal into the break, but the scoreboard remained even.
After the rare penalty-free opening period, the tension in the building could be felt as the second period got underway — and it didn’t take long for things to boil over. Just under four minutes into the frame, a matchup that had been brewing since the early minutes of Friday night’s game finally erupted as Logan Deuling and William Stewart dropped the gloves. The scrap definitely sent some energy into both benches and the crowd. While Stewart showed plenty of willingness to answer the challenge, Deuling appeared to gain the upper hand in the exchange, and Maryland carried that momentum onto the scoreboard shortly after. Just a couple of minutes following the fight, Joshua Frenette restored the Black Bears’ lead with his 14th goal of the season, finishing a play from Trey Hinton and Kristofers Krumins to make it 2–1 Maryland. The game continued to tighten defensively until the halfway point of regulation, when the Tomahawks were awarded the first power play of the night. At 9:06 of the second period, Maryland’s Vincent Glos was assessed a two-minute minor for interference, giving Johnstown its first opportunity with the man advantage. However, Maryland’s penalty kill — one of the most reliable units in the league — rose to the occasion, successfully killing off the chance and they maintained their one-goal advantage through the remainder of the period. By the time the horn sounded to end the second, Maryland still held the 2–1 lead and had widened the shots-on-goal margin to 22–10.
The Tomahawks remained well within striking distance entering the final twenty minutes against the league’s best team, but Maryland wasted little time adding some breathing room. Just 3:54 into the third period, Tanner Duncan scored his 27th goal of the season to extend the Black Bears’ lead to 3–1. Harrison Smith collected his league-leading 65th assist on the play, while Ryan Franks added his 27th assist of the year. Shortly after the goal, the Tomahawks had another opportunity to respond when they were awarded their second power play of the night, but once again Maryland’s penalty kill limited quality chances and made things rather manageable for Dom Gatto, the Black Bears’ backup goaltender who was making the start. After successfully killing off Johnstown’s man advantage, Maryland received its first power play opportunity of the night when Aaron Bleier was sent off for unsportsmanlike conduct. It was a critical moment for the Tomahawks, and they answered the call. The penalty kill stood tall, with Nikita Oleksiienko holding firm — making a solid return to the lineup after roughly three weeks while Zack Farris handled five-straight recent starts — coming up with several key stops to keep the deficit at two. That kill helped swing some momentum back toward the home side. With just over six minutes remaining, the Tomahawks pulled within one as Jack Sullivan scored his ninth goal of the season. The puck took a somewhat fortunate bounce near the net — similar to Nick Jarmain’s deflection goal from Friday night — but it certainly counted. Sean Leetch and Emerson Marshall were credited with the assists, cutting the deficit to 3–2. The opportunity to add to the comeback arrived moments later. Roughly a minute after Sullivan’s goal, Maryland was called for boarding, giving the Tomahawks a golden chance on the power play with around five minutes remaining. A tying goal would have ignited the crowd and guaranteed Johnstown at least a point if the game had reached overtime. The Tomahawks generated some pressure and created several chaotic moments around the Maryland net, but the Black Bears ultimately held it down once again. A series of zone clears allowed Maryland to kill off the penalty and preserve the one-goal lead. The Hawks’ pulled Oleksiienko shortly thereafter for the extra attacker, creating a few tense moments down the stretch. The Tomahawks had a couple close calls that nearly sent the arena into a frenzy, but the league’s top team once again showed why it sits atop the standings. After clearing the puck out of their zone and into neutral ice, Brayden Wade tracked it down and sealed the game with an empty-net goal with 25 seconds remaining, securing a 4–2 victory for Maryland. The Black Bears finished the night with a 34–16 advantage in shots on goal, closing out the weekend series in Johnstown. Despite not recording any points, we got some help from Rochester, also keeping Danbury pointless.
We will back THIS Friday and Saturday night to complete our three week home stand in Johnstown! We’ll play host to the New Hampshire Mountain Kings for another set of crucial East Division showdowns. NH will come into play just two points behind us, also looking to hunt down the final playoff spot. 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