Johnstown, PA — The Johnstown Tomahawks (2-3-2) were defeated by the East Division leading Maryland Black Bears (7-0-1) by a final score of 4-3 in a shootout as the Tomahawks opened up their home ice schedule on Friday night. Ethan Coots found the back of the net three times (one coming in the shootout), Conner Maione scored his first of the season for the Tomahawks to tie the game midway through the second frame. Tomahawks goaltender Matthew Wood was outstanding in what was easily his best game as a Tomahawk thus far, turning aside 34 of the 37 Maryland shots and recording several key stops throughout the night. Ajay Rai, Matt Shpungin, and Noi Jonasson were the goal scorers in regulation for Maryland, and Joe Gasperko finished it off in the shootout.
The Tomahawks returned home for the first time this season Friday night, welcoming the defending Robertson Cup champion Maryland Black Bears to 1st Summit Arena for the first of a two-game home opening weekend. After a strong showing at the NAHL Showcase last weekend, Johnstown found themselves in a rather familiar battle with Maryland, as the Black Bears jumped out to an early lead in the opening frame, seeming to dominate play. Maryland opened the scoring just over eight minutes into the contest as Ajay Rai converted on the power play to give the visitors a 1-0 advantage. The Tomahawks had a chance to respond, but another Maryland power play resulted in the Black Bears doubling their lead as Matthew Shpungin found the back of the net with just over two minutes remaining in the period for his eighth goal in his last 9 games versus the Tomahawks dating back to last season where he spent the season with the Danbury Hat Tricks. The opening frame also featured plenty of physicality which is never a surprise between these two rivals, including a pair of fights just seconds apart late in the period, as the intensity between the benches continued to rise. Maryland took a 2-0 advantage, as well as a commanding 13-2 shots on goal lead into the first break.
The Tomahawks came out with a much-needed response in the second period and quickly began to chip away at the Maryland advantage. Conner Maione got Johnstown on the board just over eight minutes into the frame, finishing off a chance from Ethan Coots and Conor Griffin that was setup nicely by the entire five-man unit within the Maryland defensive zone to cut the deficit to 2-1. The Hawks’ continued to apply pressure and eventually found the equalizer with just over four minutes remaining as Ethan Coots scored his third of the season, with Jacob Duval picking up the lone assist. After being held off the board in the opening period, the Tomahawks found their offense in a big way in the second and completely erased the two-goal deficit which really brought the Johnstown crowd to life. The physicality continued throughout the period as both teams were sent to the box on numerous occasions, including another pair of fighting majors late in the frame. The game entered the second intermission tied at two with Johnstown having completely shifted the momentum in their favor, in what was easily their most complete period of the young season. Shots were still heavily in Maryland’s favor at 26-15 despite the 2-2 score after 40.
The Tomahawks carried that momentum into the third period and were rewarded as Coots struck again, scoring his team-leading fourth goal of the season with just over three minutes gone by in the frame to give Johnstown its first lead of the night. With the Hawks’ now holding a 3-2 advantage, and the home crowd fully into the game, Maryland continued to push in search of the equalizer while Johnstown’s defense had a long hill to climb to escape with the victory. Through most of the period the Tomahawks did a fantastic job of keeping the Maryland opportunities to a minimum only allowing one short odd-man rush, which was broken up nicely by Justin Chiras and Matthew Wood. As time began to tick off, the more likely it began to feel that the team who has yet to lose a game in regulation through eight games, was going to be held to just two goals. The Black Bears eventually did find their opportunity in the dying moments of regulation as Noi Jonasson scored on the power play with just 41 seconds remaining to tie the game at three and send the thrilling home opener in Johnstown into overtime. Neither team was able to find the deciding goal in the extra period, sending the game to a shootout to determine the winner. Maryland ultimately came away with the extra point in the shootout, as Joe Gasperko beat Wood on the blocker side, handing the Tomahawks a 4-3 defeat in their first home game of the season. Despite the result, Johnstown battled back from a two-goal deficit to take the lead in the third period and earned a valuable point against the defending champions. The Tomahawks and Black Bears will meet once again Saturday night to close out the home opening weekend, with puck drop set for 7:00 p.m. We’re hosting a pre-game Block Party on Market St. from 3:00PM to 6:30PM with lots of things for you to enjoy and get ready for night two in Johnstown!
BY: DREW PFEIL