HAWKS CLINCH
The Tomahawks are returning to the Robertson Cup playoffs in April!
Johnstown clinched a berth in the 2019-20 postseason with a convincing 6-2 victory over Maine on Monday night. It is their second straight trip to the playoffs and fifth since the inaugural season in 2012.
The NAHL 2019-20 regular season ends the first week of April and the East Division Semi Finals would begin the weekend after on April 10.
HAWKS TOPS MAINE 6-2
In the first of two games back-to-back against the Maine Nordiques, the Johnstown Tomahawks were very eager to be the first ones on the board to kick off this matchup. The team had a near perfect first period, and was very fast paced. The Hawks outshot the Nordiques 15-4 in the first 20 minutes of play, with the Nordiques’ first shot of the game coming on a power play 13 minutes into the game. At nine minutes and 32 seconds, the first goal of the game was scored, giving Johnstown an early 1-0 lead. The goal, a wrist shot from the slot, was scored by Max Kouznetsov with assists from Liam Whitehouse and Carson Gallagher. Overall, the Hawks defensive core blocked 12 shots throughout the entire period, and had taken only one penalty at 11 minutes and 52 seconds for a cross checking minor.
During the second period, the Hawks came out strong, as Pavel Kharin got onto the board, with assists from Brendan Blair and Andrew Murphy at eight minutes and 46 seconds. However, the team wasn’t done yet, as the 12-minute mark of the second period arrived, another Hawks goal was scored by Andrew Murphy, with assists from Carson Grainer and Colin Price. The Nordiques finally got on the board with a goal from Noah Kane at 16 minutes and 45 seconds to finish off the scoring for the period. The Hawks also gained their first power play opportunity after a high-sticking minor at two minutes and 39 seconds. In addition to building a 3-1 lead, the Hawks are still outshooting the Nordiques 28-13 after 40 minutes of play.
The third period of play started off with two goals that were a little over a minute apart. The first goal came at four minutes and 36 seconds by Johnstown’s Christian Gorscak, and it was unassisted. The second goal came at five minutes and 47 seconds by Maine’s Isaiah Fox with assists from Noah Kane and Adrius Kulbis-Marino. The Hawks extend their lead to 5-2 with a goal from Christian Gorscak assisted by and Jesse Lycan and Pavel Kharin, came at 13 minutes and 54 seconds. Finally, the buzzer sounded with a final score of a 6-2 victory with the last goal by Carson Gallagher assisted from Stockdale and Poorman. The final attendance for tonight’s game was 1,356, and the Hawks will face the Nordiques again tomorrow night, March 3rd, at 7:00PM.
Scoring Breakdown:
1st Period recap
• 9:32 JHT Max Kouznetsov with assists from Liam Whitehouse and Carson Gallagher
2nd Period recap
• 8:46 JHT Pavel Kharin with assists from Brendan Blair and Andrew Murphy
• 12:00 JHT Andrew Murphy with assists from Carson Grainer and Colin Price
• 16:45 MNE Noah Kane with assist from Adrius Kulbis-Marino
3rd Period recap
• 4:36 JHT Christian Gorscak with assist to Lycan and Kharin
• 5:47 MNE Isaiah Fox with assists from Noah Kane and Adrius Kulbis-Marino
• 13:54 JHT Brendan Blair with assists from Christian Gorscak and Jesse Lycan
• 18:59 JHT Carson Gallagher with assist you Stockdale and Poorman
Final Shots on Goal: Johnstown Tomahawks (31) | Maine Nordiques (14)
Three Stars of the Game:
1. Andrew Murphy, Johnstown
2. Christian Gorscak, Johnstown
3. Carson Grainer, Johnstown