JOHNSTOWN, Penn. – The Johnstown Tomahawks once again forced overtime and won 5-4, sweeping the home series against the Maryland Black Bears.
Neither team could get the first goal early on in the first period. However, much like the night before, Johnstown was the team to open the scoring. Spencer DenBeste netted his 11th goal of the year, while Quinn Warmuth scored his third a little over four minutes later.
Johnstown goalie, David Tomeo, made several key saves in the opening period to help keep Maryland off the board.
The second period was very eventful, with hard hits and penalties throughout. Tomeo continued his strong play, specifically stopping Maryland’s Filip Jakobsson on a breakaway. Johnstown would extend their lead to 3-0 late in the period, with Max Kouznetsov firing home a one-timer on the powerplay for his eighth goal of the season.
But both teams saved all the drama for the third period. Maryland scored four unanswered goals, with Jude Kurtas and Jackson Sterrett each getting one and Wilmer Skoog getting two. Johnstown came back to tie it, with Pavel Kharin scoring the equalizer with less than two minutes remaining in regulation.
Much like last night, overtime was needed to decide the winner. Once again, the Tomahawks emerged victorious, with Christian Gorscak scoring his tenth of the season to win it.
With the victory, the Tomahawks remain in second place in the East with 34 points. In other divisional action, New Jersey defeated Maine once again to stay in first place. Jamestown beat Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, and Northeast was off.
Scoring Breakdown:
1st Period Recap
- 14:33 Johnstown powerplay goal scored by Spencer DenBeste, assisted by Tristan Poissant and Christian Gorscak.
- 18:15 Johnstown goal scored by Quinn Warmuth, assisted by Tristan Poissant and Drew Murphy.
2nd Period Recap
- 18:24 Johnstown powerplay goal scored by Max Kouznetsov, assisted by Bennett Stockdale.
3rd Period Recap
- 0:43 Maryland goal scored by Jude Kurtas, assisted by Wilmer Skoog and Hampus Rydqvist.
- 6:38 Maryland powerplay goal scored by Wilmer Skoog, assisted by Jude Kurtas and Hampus Rydqvist.
- 7:17 Maryland powerplay goal scored by Wilmer Skoog, assisted by Hampus Rydqvist and Andrew Remer.
- 8:35 Maryland goal scored by Jackson Sterrett, assisted by Hampus Rydqvist and Bryden Sinclair.
- 18:08 Johnstown goal scored by Pavel Kharin, assisted by Matt Doyle and Colin Price.
Overtime Recap
- Johnstown goal scored by Christian Gorscak, assisted by Max Kouznetsov and Brendan Blair
Final Shots on Goal count: Johnstown Tomahawks (31) | Maryland Black Bears (22)
Three Stars of the Game:
- Christian Gorscak, Johnstown
- Jude Kurtas, Maryland
- Tristan Poissant, Johnstown
Looking Ahead:
The Tomahawks will hit the road next weekend to face the Jamestown Rebels at Northwest Arena on November 29th and 30th.
They will then return home on December 6th and 7th for a showdown with the New Jersey Titans. On Friday night, fans will receive souvenir player trading cards. Then on Saturday night, don’t forget to wear your favorite ugly holiday sweater for Ugly Christmas Sweater Night. It will also be the fan-favorite Teddy Bear Toss.
Tickets are available in-person at the 1ST SUMMIT ARENA Box Office and online at www.1stSummitArena.com/go/Tomahawks.