MIDDLETOWN, NJ — The Johnstown Tomahawks (3-4-3) responded with a commanding 5-3 victory over the New Jersey Titans (6-3-2) on Saturday afternoon to earn a series split on the weekend. Ryan Tartaglione scored his first two goals of the season while Peter Morris, Evan Kensey and Aiden MacIsaac also found the back of the net. Matthew Wood was fantastic again turning aside 36 of the 39 Titans shots. New Jersey got goals from Joe Pocrnic and Martin Prizgintas. Simon Krcmar made the start in net for the Titans and made 21 saves in the loss.
After coming up just short in Friday night’s shootout loss to the New Jersey Titans, the Tomahawks returned Saturday afternoon looking to bounce back and earn a split for the weekend series. The opening frame was a mirror image of yesterday’s defensive battle, as neither team was able to find the back of the net through the first 20 minutes. Despite the scoreless period, New Jersey had a much better first frame and controlled much of the play early, outshooting Johnstown 14-4 and putting the Hawks on their heels as they headed into the first intermission.
The Titans finally broke through early in the second period, as Joe Pocrnic scored his fifth goal of the season to give New Jersey a 1-0 lead. The Tomahawks wasted no time responding, however, as Ryan Tartaglione found the back of the net for his first of the season just over a minute later, with Alex Gomes picking up the assist to bring the game even at one. Johnstown continued to build on that momentum and took its first lead of the afternoon with just over two minutes remaining in the period, as Peter Morris scored his second goal of the season, with Ethan Coots and Evan Kensey recording the assists. The Hawks weren’t done there either, as Kensey added a goal of his own just 31 seconds later, with Conor Griffin picking up the lone assist to give Johnstown an important 3-1 advantage heading into the second break. After being outshot by a wide margin in the opening period, the Tomahawks found their offense in a big way in the second, scoring three unanswered goals to completely shift the momentum in their favor. Matthew Wood picked up right where he left off last Friday, continuing his stellar play between the pipes for Johnstown. New Jersey did still heavily lead in shots after the second at 29-16.
With a two-goal cushion and 20 minutes left to play, the Tomahawks looked to protect their lead and finish off a much-needed bounce-back performance against the Titans. Ryan Tartaglione doubled down early to begin the period to extend the lead to three now at 4-1. New Jersey did manage to cut into the deficit a couple minutes following the second Tartaglione goal, as Martin Prizgintas scored to bring the Titans back within two at 4-2 and give the Titans some life on home ice. However, Johnstown responded well defensively with more solid goaltending from Wood and added an insurance marker with just under two minutes to play as Aiden MacIsaac found the back of the net for his first goal and point of the season to restore the Hawks’ three goal advantage. The Tomahawks shut things down from there and held on to secure a 5-2 victory, completing an impressive turnaround after a struggle to get going in the first period. New Jersey finished with a 39-25 advantage in shots on goal, but Johnstown made its opportunities count, scoring five times over the final 40 minutes to earn the weekend split against the Titans and a valuable two points in the division.
We’re BACK at 1st SUMMIT ARENA next weekend on October 16th and 17th to host the Philadelphia Rebels. Don’t wait, get your tickets HERE and we’ll see you on Friday night for a 7:30PM puck drop.
BY: DREW PFEIL