JOHNSTOWN – The Johnstown Tomahawks (24-24-9) were defeated by the New Hampshire Mountain Kings (23-26-8) by a score of 8-4 on Saturday night in New Hampshire. The Tomahawks were led by a three assist night from Emerson Marshall and goals from Jarmain, Morgan, Leetch and Perler. Jason Cai stole the show for New Hampshire making 46 saves on 50 Tomahawks shots.
Saturday night’s action got underway with the Tomahawks riding back-to-back 7-4 victories over New Hampshire, looking to replicate that success and keep their playoff hopes alive. However, it was the Mountain Kings who struck first, as Alex Gelhar netted his 11th of the season just under two minutes in, setting an early tone. Just a minute later, Emerson Marshall was sent off for high-sticking, giving New Hampshire a prime opportunity to extend their lead. But the Tomahawks’ penalty kill—backstopped by Zack Ferris—stood tall and kept it a one-goal game. At the 11-minute mark, the Tomahawks found their answer. Sean Morgan buried a rebound for just his second goal of the season in a crucial moment, tying the game at one. Sean Leetch picked up his 22nd assist on the play, while Emerson Marshall added his 37th. The pace of the first period was noticeably quicker and smoother than Friday night’s contest, despite limited scoring early on. A few minutes after the equalizer, New Hampshire was called for holding, sending the red-hot Tomahawks power play back to work. However, the opportunity was cut short just 52 seconds later when Jack Sullivan was sent off for hooking, resulting in four-on-four play before both teams returned to even strength without converting. Overall, it was a strong opening frame for the Tomahawks, particularly in generating offense, as they outshot New Hampshire 17-9. Still, the score remained deadlocked at 1-1 after 20 minutes.
Despite being eliminated from playoff contention the night before at the hands of the Tomahawks, New Hampshire showed no signs of backing down, bringing strong compete into Saturday’s matchup. That intensity carried through the opening five to six minutes of the second period until Sean Leetch broke through, scoring his third goal of the weekend and 10th of the season. Captain Nick Jarmain and Emerson Marshall picked up the assists, and the goal gave the Tomahawks a 2-1 lead—one that felt like it could shift momentum and potentially open the door for Johnstown to take control. However, any momentum was short-lived. Just eight seconds later, the Tomahawks fell asleep off the ensuing faceoff, and Van Martin capitalized, burying his 11th of the season to tie the game in stunning fashion. The quick response sent a shock through the building and swung momentum right back to the Mountain Kings. New Hampshire kept pushing and was rewarded with a power play after a penalty to Ethan Rosenoff with 8:30 remaining in the period. It took just 15 seconds for Aidan Petroff to strike, continuing his dominance against Johnstown with his 18th goal of the season—his fifth in as many games against the Tomahawks—giving the Mountain Kings their first lead of the night at 3-2. The rapid sequence turned the tide, but the Tomahawks continued to generate offense and pile up shots, keeping themselves within striking distance. Late in the period, though, New Hampshire extended its lead. With just over three and a half minutes remaining, Ben Dias scored his eighth of the season to make it 4-2. Moments later, what was initially called a roughing penalty on Ethan Rosenoff resulted in matching minors, sending the teams to four-on-four. It proved costly once again, because with 2:22 left in the period, Dylan Podergois netted his first goal of the season, capping off four unanswered goals by New Hampshire and pushing the lead to 5-2 heading into the second intermission. Despite the scoreline, the Tomahawks continued to control play in the offensive zone, holding a 32-22 advantage in shots on goal through 40 minutes.
The third period got off to another eventful start, as Nick Metelkin was sent off for interference just over three minutes in, putting the Tomahawks on the penalty kill and in danger of falling into a deeper hole early. Instead, the kill provided a spark. Moments after successfully killing off the penalty, captain Nick Jarmain buried his 36th of the season off a feed from Emerson Marshall—his third assist of the night—with Kirby Perler also picking up his 11th assist. The goal pulled the Tomahawks within two at 5-3 and gave the bench some life. About a minute and a half later, Drew Peterson and Kaden Rehberger dropped the gloves at center ice in a fight that looked to ignite the Tomahawks. Peterson got the better of the exchange, but the momentum didn’t follow. In fact, it swung the other way. Just 30 seconds later, Van Martin struck again for his second of the night, restoring New Hampshire’s three-goal lead at 6-3. Only 12 seconds after that, Lucas Mann added another—his eighth of the season—pushing the lead to 7-3 and effectively putting the game out of reach midway through the period. Nikita Oleksiienko took over in net to start the third, but the two quick goals weren’t solely on him, as multiple defensive breakdowns led to several high-quality chances for the Mountain Kings. On the other end, the Tomahawks continued to generate offense but struggled to beat goaltender Jason Cai, who turned aside chance after chance throughout the night. Despite earning power play opportunities midway through the period, the Hawks couldn’t capitalize. However, during four-on-four play—after Emerson Marshall was sent off—Kirby Perler found the back of the net for his fifth goal of the season, with assists from Sean Morgan and Nick Metelkin, cutting the deficit to 7-4 late. The final minutes featured a few unnecessary penalties, and New Hampshire added one more goal to seal the 8-4 final. Despite the result, the Tomahawks showed strong offensive effort, firing 50 shots on goal. However, they were consistently denied by Cai, who played a major role in the outcome. Final shots favored Johnstown, 50-36.
The Hawks will be back in action this coming weekend to wrap up the regular season versus the Philadelphia Rebels. The Tomahawks will need to gather all four points on the weekend so we’ve got defacto playoff games in Johnstown for you to enjoy! Get your tickets HERE!
BY: DREW P. PFEIL