BLAINE, MN — The Johnstown Tomahawks (2-3-1) continued rolling on Friday morning taking down one of the league’s newest team’s in the Grand Junction River Hawks (1-3-0) by a final score of 5-0 to wrap up their 2026 NAHL Showcase. Jack Genovese got the scored started again early in the second period and the Tomahawks also got four separate first-goals of the season from Beom Su Kim, Lane Glende, Sam Esposito, and the 17-year old Mikita Lagodko. Matthew Wood made his first appearance since being chased on Friday by the Black Bears, and he responded in a huge way, earning the first shutout of the season for his team. Wood saved all 26 River Hawks shots he faced in the victory.
The Tomahawks wasted no time getting the scoring started in the second period, as Captain Jack Genovese found the back of the net just a minute into the frame to give Johnstown its first lead of the afternoon. Genovese was set up by Lane Glende and Conner Maione, marking it the second straight game the trio combined to find the scoresheet with a goal. Just three minutes later, the Hawks’ doubled their advantage as Beom Su Kim scored his first goal of the season, with Muggy Bars picking up the lone assist on his birthday nonetheless, to make it a 2-0 game. The first penalty of the contest came shortly after, sending the River Hawks to the power play with a chance to cut the deficit in half or at least gain some momentum but Johnstown’s penalty kill unit, along with Matthew Wood between the pipes, came through to keep Grand Junction off the board. With less than five minutes remaining in the period, Sam Esposito added his first of the season as the Tomahawks continued to pour on the pressure and took a commanding 3-0 lead into the second intermission. Johnstown continued to hold the advantage in shots, leading 20-15 through 40 minutes.
The Hawks jumped on Grand Junction once again to begin the third period as Lane Glende found the back of the net just over a minute into the frame, giving Johnstown a comfortable 4-0 lead with less than a period to play. Jacob Duval picked up the lone assist on the goal as the Tomahawks continued to control play. The remainder of the period played out much of the same way, with Johnstown maintaining its four-goal advantage and simply running out the majority of the clock as the River Hawks struggled to generate any sustained pressure. Mikita Lagodko would add one more late in the contest, finishing off a chance with assists from Evan Kensey and Ethan Coots, with Kensey picking up his fifth assist of the young season for his team leading seventh point.
The Tomahawks closed out their 2026 NAHL Showcase in dominant fashion with a 5-0 shutout victory over Grand Junction, finishing the contest with a 32-26 advantage in shots on goal. Following a busy three-game Showcase, the Tomahawks will finally open their home ice schedule next weekend in Johnstown as they welcome the rival Maryland Black Bears to town. Puck drop for Friday’s contest is set for 7:30 p.m.
BY: DREW PFEIL