DANBURY – The Johnstown Tomahawks (15-13-6) were narrowly defeated by the Danbury Hat Tricks (15-16-4) by a score of 3-2 on Thursday, January 8th. The Tomahawks surrendered the first goal of the game but were given offensive spark from Nick Jarmain who scored his 20th of the season. Brief, but former Tomahawk, Matt Dabrowski scored against his old team for the second time this season. Zack Ferris was strong for the Hawks, especially early while the game was still up for grabs. The lack of offense was the key from last night. However, Hat Tricks goaltender Jon Dukaric was outstanding, making 41 saves on 43 shots for the victory.
The Johnstown Tomahawks opened 2026 on the road Thursday night, traveling to Connecticut for a primetime matchup against the Danbury Hat Tricks. Entering the contest, Johnstown held a four-point edge over Danbury in the East Division standings. It marked the Tomahawks’ first—and only—Thursday night game of the season, and one of just two games played league-wide on the evening. The opening period was played at a fast, structured pace, with both teams moving the puck quickly and the officials keeping their whistles quiet. Goaltenders Zack Ferris for Johnstown and John Dukaric for Danbury were both tested early, but it was Ferris who stole the spotlight with several key stops, including a breakaway save that kept the game scoreless and set the tone early for the night. The first penalty didn’t come until just under five minutes remaining in the period when Tomahawks forward Nick Metelkin was whistled for interference. Johnstown’s penalty kill stood tall, denying Danbury’s first power-play opportunity. The Tomahawks earned a man advantage of their own with under a minute left after a hooking call against the Hattricks, giving Johnstown 51 seconds of power-play time that would carry into the second period. After 20 minutes, the game remained deadlocked at 0–0, with the Tomahawks holding a slight 11–9 edge in shots on goal
With 1:10 of carryover power-play time to begin the second period, the Tomahawks were unable to solve Danbury goaltender John Dukarich, and the deadlock remained. The Hat Tricks quickly built momentum off the successful penalty kill, and it was former Tomahawk Matt Dabrowski who opened the scoring, beating his old teammate Zack Ferris to give Danbury a 1–0 lead. Just one minute later, Tomahawks captain Nick Jarmain delivered a captain-like response, finding the back of the net to tie the game at 1–1. Sean Leetch and Nick Metelkin picked up the assists on the equalizer. The back-and-forth spurt didn’t stop there. Danbury answered right back a minute after Jarmain’s goal, reclaiming the lead at 2–1 and preventing Johnstown from fully swinging the momentum in its favor. Following the three-goal burst in a span of two minutes, the pace settled into a more controlled, end-to-end rhythm. The remainder of the second period was played cleanly, with no penalties assessed. After 40 minutes, the Tomahawks continued to hold the edge in shots on goal, leading 28–15.
The Tomahawks opened the third period with another prime opportunity to even the score, heading back to the power play just 44 seconds in, after Danbury was whistled for roughing. With fresh ice and space to move the puck, Johnstown needed to capitalize, but the Hat Tricks’ penalty kill stood strong once again, denying the Tomahawks on their third man-advantage chance of the night. At the 11-minute mark, Johnstown appeared headed back to the power play on a delayed call, but with the goaltender pulled for the extra attacker, Nick Jarmain was assessed an interference minor, negating the advantage and resulting in 4-on-4 play. Once the penalties expired, time began to work against the Tomahawks as the period crossed the midway point. With just over six minutes remaining, Tomahawks forward Aaron Bleier was sent off for high sticking, giving Danbury another power-play opportunity. This time, the Hat Tricks made it count, burying a rebound 58 seconds into the man advantage to extend their lead to 3–1 with five minutes to play. Johnstown refused to give up though. With two minutes remaining, Kalib Capecci found the back of the net for his third goal in as many games, pulling the Tomahawks within one and injecting some life into the bench for a final push. Charlie Zetterkvist and William Stewart recorded the assists on the goal. Despite the surge, Danbury goaltender John Dukaric stood tall in the closing moments, turning aside multiple scramble chances to preserve the 3–2 victory on home ice. The loss certainly tightened the East Division race, as the Hat Tricks closed within two points of the Tomahawks, setting up a huge showdown this afternoon. Final shots favored Johnstown by a wide margin, 45–22.