The Johnstown Tomahawks will continue their four-game home stand this weekend as they play host to the Philadelphia Rebels at 1ST SUMMIT Arena on Friday, November 21st and Saturday, November 22nd. The Tomahawks are coming off back to back overtime wins on home ice after two electric nights in Johnstown.
A LOOK BACK AT LAST SEASON
The Rebels have had quite the history in the NAHL with four different city name changes since the 2015 season. From 2015-17, the team was known as the Aston Rebels. Then there was a solo season with the introduction of the Philadelphia Rebels. However, the initial “Philadelphia” season was short-lived as they were changed to the Jamestown Rebels for the next four years until 2022. After all, the Rebels have made their way back to Philly and have been known as the “Philadelphia Rebels” once again to present day, since the 2022-23 season. Through the last three full seasons, the Philadelphia Rebels hold a 79-90-10 record. They’ve recorded exactly 30 regulation losses in all three seasons for a bit of a strange stat.
Last year the Tomahawks and Rebels faced off six times, which is standard for most in-division matchups. The Tomahawks weren’t very successful versus the sub-.500 Philadelphia team last season losing the season series 4-2. The first four games were played in Philadelphia while the last two were inside the 1ST SUMMIT ARENA in Johnstown. Despite the 4-2 series loss, the Tomahawks were definitely not outplayed entirely. Each of the six games was extremely tight with the largest margin of victory coming at just two goals. The last three games of the series were just one goal games, with one finishing in a shootout. The Tomahawks did wrap the series on a positive note however, winning 4-3 on home ice.
SEP 20TH – 3-1 L IN PHILADELPHIA
SEP 21TH – 5-3 L IN PHILADELPHIA
JAN 17TH – 6-4 L IN PHILADELPHIA
JAN 18TH – 3-2 W IN PHILADELPHIA
FEB 14TH – 2-1 SOL IN JOHNSTOWN
FEB 15TH – 4-3 W IN JOHNSTOWN
REBELS WIN SERIES FOUR GAMES TO TWO
THIS SEASON (1-1-0)
- OCT 7TH, 2025 – 4-1 L IN PHILADELPHIA
- The Tomahawks generated early power-play chances but couldn’t capitalize, and Philadelphia struck first to take a 1–0 lead after one. Johnstown cut the deficit to 2–1 on a second-period power-play goal by Nick Jarmain, but the Rebels answered less than a minute later to restore their two-goal cushion. A parade of third-period penalties derailed any comeback attempt, and Philadelphia added a late goal to seal a 4–1 win despite being outshot 28–22.
- OCT 8TH, 2025 – 2-1 SOW IN PHILADELPHIA
- The Tomahawks responded well after Friday’s 4–1 loss, controlling much of the play and outshooting Philadelphia early, though the game remained scoreless after one. The Rebels struck first in the second period, and despite several Johnstown power plays, the Hawks couldn’t break through, trailing 1–0 after 40 minutes. A long scoring drought finally ended late in the third when newcomer Kacper Gach tied the game, eventually sending it to overtime and then a shootout. There, Shane Tronoski scored the lone goal and Zack Ferris stopped all three attempts, lifting Johnstown to a much-needed 2–1 victory.
2025-2026 KEYS TO THE MATCHUP
- Tomahawks first year Head Coach Adam Houli will look to keep building off of some good momentum at home and look to create a lengthy winning streak.
- After a historic start to the season – which feels like an eternity ago, The Tomahawks are still in a decent position at 6th in the East, but will look to grab four points and separate themselves from the Rebels.
- The Rebels are off to an underwhelming start with a 8-11-4 record, sitting at 8th in the East Division
- When the two teams met two weeks ago, there were five points separating them, the same difference is between the two teams this weekend.
- The Rebels have just one player inside the league’s top 30 scorers with Charlie Spencer who sits at #30 with 6G and 15A for 21P in 22 games played.
No surprise, we’ve got another important weekend for the East Division standings as some big swings could take place with certain results. Just six points separate the #2 seed and the #8 seed Rebels, showcasing just how tight the East is this season.
FALL INTO HOCKEY BOGO OFFER – UPCOMING HOME GAMES
- Buy two tickets for the price of one during the Fall months! *All seats available aside from glass seating*
11.21 – 7:30PM
11.21 – 7:00PM
https://www.gofevo.com/group/FallOffer25
BY: DREW P. PFEIL