SEWELL, NJ — The Johnstown Tomahawks (8-5-4) got a point in the standings but were defeated by the Philadelphia Rebels (13-8-2) on Friday night after falling 2-1 in a shootout in New Jersey. Captain Jack Genovese was the lone goalscorer in regulation for the Tomahawks with his first of the season. Charlie Zetterkvist scored the only shootout goal for the Hawks. Matt Wood was between the pipes for Johnstown and made 23 saves. Jeremy Lowe was solid in net for the Rebels after allowing the first period Genovese goal responding for 27+ straight saves over the final two periods and overtime, then went two of three in the shootout.
The Tomahawks hit the road early Friday morning for their first matchup of the weekend and third of the season against the Philadelphia Rebels, looking to get back in the win column after ending last weekend’s series against Northeast with a loss. The opening period featured plenty of physicality and back-and-forth action with little to no stoppages in play, but it was the Tomahawks who managed to break the deadlock first. Tomahawks captain Jack Genovese found the back of the net on the power play at the 7:02mark to give Johnstown a 1-0 lead. Genovese finally broke through with his first of the season which was assisted by Connor Maione and Jacob Ingstrup, giving the Hawks an early advantage. The Tomahawks played one of their best periods of the season to open up Friday night‘s contest, but unfortunately didn’t give themselves much breathing room. Shots after the first were in favor of Johnstown at 11-4.
The second period saw much of the same style continue, as both teams struggled to find the back of the net despite generating multiple chances offensively. The Rebels began to find some life and put more pressure on the Tomahawks, but Johnstown continued to hold strong defensively and maintain the one-goal advantage. Both teams also had several opportunities with the man advantage throughout the period but were unable to capitalize. The Hawks continued to put pressure on the Rebels goaltender Lowe, and looked to extend their lead, but neither side was able to break through in the middle frame, keeping the score at 1-0. After forty minutes of play, the Tomahawks held a 22-11 advantage in shots on goal and headed into the final twenty minutes still leading 1-0.
The third period got underway with the Tomahawks looking to protect their one-goal lead and close out the victory, but Philadelphia finally managed to find an equalizer early in the frame. You could sense that the Tomahawks took too long to grab a second goal and Justin Vlassis scored his seventh goal of the season on the power play at the 15:23 mark, with assists from Zach Greenlund and Broxton Ingle, to tie the game at 1-1. The Hawks continued to battle throughout the remainder of regulation, but neither team was able to find the go-ahead goal, sending the game into overtime. The extra five-minute frame featured more opportunities for both sides, as 3-on-3 tends to, but the goaltenders continued to hold strong and forced a shootout to decide the extra point. Philadelphia ultimately came away with the shootout victory as Paxton Couture beat Wood to secure the 2-1 win, despite the Tomahawks controlling much of the shots on goal battle throughout the night and the first half of the game. Johnstown finished with a 38-24 advantage in shots. The Hawks earned a point in the shootout loss and will look to bounce back Saturday night at 7:30PM as they close out the weekend series against the Rebels.
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BY: DREW PFEIL