MIDDLETOWN – The Johnstown Tomahawks were shutout by the New Jersey Titans by a score of 2-0 on Friday, November 28th in Middletown, NJ. The Tomahawks were led by Zack Ferris between the pipes who despite the loss, was sensational once again, keeping his team in the game. A familiar face ended up putting the dagger into the back of the net with just under 10-minutes to play as former Tomahawks forward Tate Pecknold scored his team leading 10th of the season to give his team the 2-0 lead late. Titans rookie goaltender Andrei Nikolaev was brilliant in net, turning aside all 18 shots he faced and survived a spirited Hawks’ push early in the game.
The Black Friday action got moving right away, with both sides pushing to grab the first goal in what felt like a playoff-style matchup. Kalib Capecci jumped in for the first solid chance of the night, but Titans goalie Andrei Nikolaev turned it aside. The opening minutes had the feel of a wide-open game, with plenty of space and both teams willing to trade looks. Sean Morgan came up with a key moment early, dropping to block a Titans shot after a lane opened up in the Tomahawks’ end. Johnstown carried most of the early pressure, spending long stretches in the offensive zone and creating some busy moments around the net, but nothing found a way through. They earned the first power play five minutes in, though a shaky start led to a couple of shorthanded chances on Zack Ferris that he had to be sharp for before the power play came to an end. Morgan was then called for holding with about six minutes left, putting the league’s top penalty kill—clicking at roughly 94% coming into the night—to work for the first time, and they handled it without giving up much. The Tomahawks kept pushing late in the period, throwing pucks into the crease and forcing Nikolaev to deal with loose rebounds and traffic. The league’s youngest goaltender held steady, showing why the 16 year old recently committed to Boston University. Shots after the first were 12–9 in favor of New Jersey, as the game stayed deadlocked at 0–0.
Whether it was the tension of a scoreless game through 40 minutes or just the nature of the most momentum driven sport in the world, the third period turned into a parade to the penalty box. Both teams were whistled four times, and each side picked up multiple 10-minute misconducts for unsportsmanlike conduct. The Tomahawks opened the period with a great chance to finally break through. Just two minutes in, they went to the power play on a Titans checking-from-behind call, and then 24 seconds later they were handed a golden opportunity, heading to a 5-on-3 advantage for nearly a minute and a half. It was the type of opportunity that can swing a game, but the power play couldn’t get much going. New Jersey pressured well, forced turnovers, and killed off both penalties. Given how quickly momentum can flip, it felt like the Titans were going to get their chance following the huge kills—and they did just a few minutes later. After the Tomahawks were called for elbowing, New Jersey needed only six seconds to solve the Tomahawks’ elite penalty kill and grab the all-important 1–0 lead. The whistles kept coming. Even after falling behind, Johnstown earned another power play, but Andrei Nikolaev continued his strong night and turned away everything he saw. Moments later, the Titans went back on the advantage and struck again—this time 40 seconds in—when former Tomahawk Tate Pecknold knocked in a rebound to make it 2–0. It was his tenth of the year, leading his new team, and it had to be a satisfying moment against his old squad. For a group that has leaned heavily on its penalty kill this season, giving up two power-play goals in a span of five minutes had to be a tough blow. The penalties didn’t stop there either. With about four minutes left, Drew Peterson took a double-minor for cross-checking, but Zack Ferris did his part to keep the Tomahawks within reach, making several key stops despite the two power play goals. In the final minutes, both teams took more penalties—Johnstown for unsportsmanlike conduct and New Jersey for high-sticking—sending the Tomahawks to their ninth power play of the night. They still couldn’t find a way past Nikolaev, who closed out the shutout. Final shots on goal were 29–18 in favor of the Titans. The Tomahawks managed just four in the third period, where they needed just one bounce to change the whole night. New Jersey held on for the 2-0 victory on home ice.
Your Johnstown Tomahawks will get a chance to rebound tonight back in Jersey for an earlier game that will kick off at 5:30PM from Middletown, New Jersey. Get your tickets for the next homestead https://www.ticketmaster.com/johnstown-tomahawks-tickets/artist/1760594. Catch all of the action on NAHLTV and follow our social media accounts @tomahawkshockey to keep in the loop.
BY: DREW P. PFEIL