The Johnstown Tomahawks suffered a shootout loss to the Maryland Black Bears Friday night, by a final score of 3-2.
The game started off slower than the fans at 1ST SUMMIT ARENA have been used to lately with the first goal come 12:34 into the opening period as Anthony Mastromonica scored his 15th goal of the season short-handed while Johnstown’s Max Neill was in the penalty box for hooking. Special teams were put to work in the 1st period with Maryland taking one penalty, while Johnstown had two. Although there was only one goal in the opening period, there was no shortage of shots on goal with Maryland’s Hannes Kollen stopping seven of eight shots and Johnstown’s Josh Graziano stopped all nine shots that Maryland sent his way.
The 2nd period followed the same pattern, as there were no goals scored in the middle frame of the game. Luke Mountain and Brad McNeil both took penalties, giving the Tomahawks two opportunities to extend their lead on the man-advantage. While the Tomahawks would not be able to score on the power play, they added on another 11 shots on goal to the board in the 2nd period, producing offensively off the scoresheet.
Both teams came out hungry in the 3rd and final period, knowing the next goal would be one of major importance, no matter which side scores. Maryland’s Grady Freidman scored the impactful goal just 2:18 into the period to tie the game at 1. 9:37 into the period Maryland’s Philip Tornqvist was called for cross-checking, to give the Tomahawks a chance to regain the lead on the power play. John Gelatt gave the Tomahawks the lead they were looking for on the man-advantage to score his 22nd goal of the season. With just 5:13 to go in regulation, the Black Bears tied the game with a goal from Jude Kurtas, scoring his ninth goal of the season. Regulation ended tied at two and the two teams competed through a five minute sudden-death overtime. No one found the back of the net in the extra five minutes and the game would be decided in a shootout. The Black Bears outscored the Tomahawks in a five-round shootout to win the game by a final score of 3-2 on Friday night.
The Tomahawks and Black Bears face off again tomorrow night at 1ST SUMMIT ARENA with a crucial two points on the line for both teams. Please note the game’s start time has been changed from 7 PM to 8 PM. Tickets are available at Ticketmaster.com and by visiting the Tomahawks office.