The Johnstown Tomahawks (7-1-2) defeated the Rochester Jr. Americans (4-6-0) in impressive fashion by a score of 7-0 on Friday, October 10th to capture points 15 and 16 on the young season while extending their point streak to eight-games. The Tomahawks were led by numerous players on Friday night, beginning with Zack Ferris who stopped all 32 of the shots he faced to earn his first shutout of the season. Captain Nick Jarmain recorded his league-leading 10th of the season to open the scoring, which ultimately became the game-winning goal. His linemate Emerson Marshall also scored once and assisted on the Jarmain goal. Shane Tronoski added two short-handed goals in the game which is a rare occurrence for the same player to strike twice while down a man, Tronoski added an assist on the Jarmain goal as well for a 3-point outing.
The Rochester Jr. Americans showed early jump to open the game, led by former Tomahawk Ryan Flaherty, who forced a turnover and nearly capitalized in the first few minutes. Momentum turned quickly when Johnstown defenseman Conor Griffin was boarded from behind just two and a half minutes in, sending the Tomahawks to their first power play. They wasted no time converting. After a smooth zone entry, Hawks forward Shane Tronoski slipped past pressure and found Emerson Marshall in front, who fed Nick Jarmain for an easy tap-in to make it 1-0. The physical tone picked up immediately, and Rochester’s first true test of Hawks goaltender Zack Ferris came seven minutes in, but Ferris answered with a solid glove sav as he knocked it aside.
Midway through the opening frame, Johnstown earned another power play but couldn’t generate much before the advantage expired. Late in the period, a Tomahawks penalty gave Rochester a chance to respond, but instead it was Tronoski again—forcing back-to-back turnovers high in the offensive zone and ripping home an unassisted shorthanded goal to make it 2-0. Ferris followed with a highlight-reel pad stop on a backdoor chance that could very well go on to be his save of the year. Johnstown protected the lead with blocked shots and carried a 2-0 edge and a 9-8 shot advantage into the intermission.
The second period began at a slower tempo, with Rochester starting to tilt the ice and generate some quality looks. But midway through the frame, Caleb Capecci stunned the home crowd by jumping down from the point and roofing a shot over the shoulder to extend the lead to 3-0. From there, Ferris stayed composed and the Tomahawks limited second chances, preserving the three-goal cushion. Shots after two stood at 18-16 in favor of Johnstown. Rochester showed some late push in the period, but Johnstown’s structure held firm in the neutral zone and kept the high-danger chances to the outside. The momentum remained firmly in the Hawks’ control heading into the final frame.
The third period quickly turned into a rout. With a 3-0 lead and full control, the Tomahawks took advantage of back-to-back Rochester penalties and erupted for three goals in under two minutes. Emerson Marshall started the surge on the power play from Jarmain and Andrew Cowgill, followed by a breakaway finish from Charlie Zetterkvist off a perfect bank pass by Jack Genovese. Just 17 seconds later, Arseni Vorobyov sniped his first as a Tomahawk to make it 6-0. The game started to get really chippy with frequent whistles down the stretch that seemed to add another half-hour to the game, and a late boarding major against Johnstown gave Rochester a three-minute power play. Even then, it was Tronoski who struck again—burying his second shorthanded goal of the night and third point overall to seal a dominant 7-0 victory. Final shots on goal were 32-28 in favor of Rochester, despite the lopsided final score.
Your Johnstown Tomahawks will get back in action tomorrow evening on October 11th for another road contest against the Rochester Jr. Americans. Puck drop tomorrow night will be at 7:00PM. Follow along with our social media accounts @tomahawkshockey to stay in touch with the games! Get your tickets for our next homestand RIGHT NOW! https://www.ticketmaster.com/johnstown-tomahawks-tickets/artist/1760594
BY: DREW P. PFEIL