JOHNSTOWN – The Johnstown Tomahawks (12-8-3) defeated the Philadelphia Rebels (9-12-4) by a 4-1 final score on Friday night at 1ST SUMMIT Arena. The Tomahawks were led by forward Emerson Marshall who recorded a goal and two assists. Zack Ferris was back between the pipes for the Tomahawks and turned aside 26 of 27 for the victory.
Johnstown opened Saturday night with a strong pace, moving the puck well in the offensive zone and dictating the early possession. Even with that pressure, Philadelphia did well to limit the shot count and keep most chances to the outside. About three minutes in, the Rebels answered with a heavy shift of their own, hemming the Tomahawks in for an extended stretch. Much like Johnstown’s early flurry, it produced more near-misses than clean shots on goal. One of the standout sequences of the period came from Talan Del Signore, Kalib Capecci, and Nick Metelkin, who forced Philly into full chase mode in their own end. Capecci sifted a pair of quick point shots through traffic, and the line generated three quality looks, all turned aside by the Philadelphia goaltender, Ben Varsa. Johnstown earned the night’s first power play at 12:15 on a boarding call, and just 45 seconds in, Capecci factored in again. His point shot was redirected by Shane Tronoski to open the scoring and give the Tomahawks the 1–0 lead. The Metelkin line kept pushing after the goal, and through the first 15 minutes, Capecci looked like the most impactful skater on the ice as he roamed the blue line. Philadelphia had a quieter period overall but found a couple of pushback chances late. Zack Ferris was sharp on his first real test, kicking out a tight-angle chance with the blocker, then relied on his positioning on a deflection opportunity a minute later—particularly notable after Friday’s game opened with a Philly deflection goal. Physicality picked up in the closing minutes, with some extra shoves around the crease after the whistle, but Ferris stayed composed and let his teammates manage the battles. Johnstown finished the first period up 12–5 in shots and carried a 1–0 lead into intermission.
Philadelphia opened the second period with plenty of jump, spending long stretches in the Tomahawks’ defensive zone, though they managed just two shots in the first three to four minutes. In a reversal of the first period’s script, it was Johnstown who went to the box for boarding, giving the Rebels an early power play just a few minutes into the period. Hawks forward Evan Kensey continued to shine on the penalty kill, creating a shorthanded rush and fired a hard shot into the glove on a two-on-one that forced a whistle in the Philly end—always a welcome outcome when down a man. Still, the Tomahawks struggled to generate much offensively, posting just one shot on goal through more than ten minutes, while Philadelphia controlled the pace and zone time. Zack Ferris became the difference-maker in the middle portion of the period. For five straight minutes he turned aside everything the Rebels threw at him, swallowing pucks without giving up second chances and providing the kind of calm presence that’s become expected of him. With around six minutes to go, the intensity ramped up again as Johnstown’s Drew Peterson and Philly’s Broxton Ingle dropped the gloves in the defensive zone. Both received five-minute majors and 10-minute misconducts. Using Ferris and the Peterson fight as a bit of a spark, the top line came through as Jack Genovese set the tone with a heavy forecheck as he finished a hit and found the puck behind the net before spinning and slipping a slick between-the-legs pass to the front of the crease. With Nick Jarmain jamming at the loose puck, the rebound kicked to the left side where Emerson Marshall was waiting all alone to put it into the open net. The goal sent everyone in 1st Summit Arena into a frenzy—and sending everyone home with a Big Mac thanks to the Big Mac Attack goal. Despite recording only three shots in the period, the Tomahawks rode their two-goal cushion and Ferris’s steady play into the 2nd intermission with a 2–0 lead. Philadelphia outshot Johnstown 11–3 in the frame, bringing totals to 18–15 in favor of the Rebels, but the scoreboard still belonged to the home side.
Johnstown carried strong energy into the third period, knowing a two-goal lead was far from safe. The push paid off quickly as this time Marshall connected with Jarmain who buried his 18th of the season to reclaim his spot at the top of the league goal race and extend the lead to 3–0. The Hawks looked to be settled after the insurance marker, but Philadelphia answered four minutes later on a fortunate bounce that deflected off a Tomahawks defender’s skate and slipped through the legs of Ferris, trimming the lead to 3–1. Moments after the goal, Johnstown took a penalty that threatened to swing momentum completely, but the penalty kill stepped up and kept the Rebels from closing the gap any further. Even so, the Hawks flirted with danger again when a hooking call put them shorthanded with six minutes remaining. The PK unit, which had a great streak ended the night before, looked completely revitalized on Saturday and came up with another timely kill to protect the two-goal cushion. That resilience paid off almost immediately. After the successful kill, Johnstown drew a penalty of their own and went to the power play. For the second time in the game, they converted. Charlie Zetterkvist hammered home a setup from Jack Roberts and Jack Genovese to make it 4–1 and effectively seal the game with just 59 seconds remaining. As the buzzer sounded to end the game, tempers flared again with both teams picking up minors—Philly for elbowing and Johnstown for roughing—and each player involved also received a 10-minute unsportsmanlike conduct. It certainly set the stage for a charged atmosphere the next time these teams meet, with the season series now even at two games a piece. Final shots on goal favored Philadelphia 27–22, but the Tomahawks’ found themselves on the right side of the scoreboard to earn the weekend split.
Your Johnstown Tomahawks will be back on the road this weekend on Black Friday as we visit the New Jersey Titans on Friday, November 28th. Get your tickets for the next homestead https://www.ticketmaster.com/johnstown-tomahawks-tickets/artist/1760594. Catch all of the action on NAHLTV and follow our social media accounts @tomahawkshockey to keep in the loop.
BY: DREW P. PFEIL