JOHNSTOWN – The Johnstown Tomahawks (6-1-2-0) defeated the New Jersey Titans (4-2-1-2) by a score of 4-1 on Saturday night to conclude the 25-26 home opener festivities. Shane Tronoski grabbed his 5th and 6th goals of the season, Charlie Zetterkvist scored the game-winning-goal and Colten Drillen-Roach made 31 saves on 32 shots for the victory.
After extending their early season point streak to six games last night despite the OT loss, the Tomahawks came out in a much better fashion on Saturday night. After a Titans penalty just under two-minutes in, Shane Tronoski capitalized on the Hawks power play after the unit went oh-fer last night. Tronoski pounded home a rebound after Emerson Marshall sent one on the net. The rest of the period played out with no more penalties or goals but still carried a much smoother and more exciting pace than last night. Shots on goal after the first were in favor of New Jersey at 9-8.
To begin the 2nd, New Jersey copied the same formula as the Tomahawks did in the 1st as they scored just three-minutes in to tie the game at 1-1. The chippy style from last night certainly carried over tonight as several net-front scrums ensued after nearly every whistle. Around the midway point of the period, a pair of penalties came, one from each side and for the second night in a row, Charlie Zetterkvist was able to pot a goal at 4-on-4 to give the Hawks their second lead of the night making it 2-1. The assists on the play were credited to Matteo Bertrand and Sean Morgan as they worked hard to keep the play alive in the Titans zone. About four-minutes after the Zetterkvist goal, a pileup abruptly started in the Tomahawks defensive zone corner and the Hawks’ faithful were treated to their first taste of “Old-Time Hockey” that is to die for around here. Sean Morgan found himself in a fight with Matt Hanscom from NJ and the 1ST SUMMIT Arena erupted. A short delay in game action followed the fisticuffs to assign the penalties, but the score remained 2-1 in favor of the Tomahawks heading into the 2nd intermission. Johnstown also led the shots on goal at 17-16.
Holding a 2-1 lead entering the final period is certainly a good spot to be in, but the next goal was almost a necessity for Johnstown. The Hawks found themselves in the box however just 50 seconds into the 3rd. The usual strong penalty-killing came through once again for the Hawks as the clock ticked on through the middle stages. With just under 10 minutes to play in the game, it was Shane Tronoski once again as he sniped one under the glove of the Titans goaltender to double the Hawks lead. The Tomahawks were comfy, but not in the clear quite yet after a pair of quick penalties put their PK to the their biggest test of the weekend as they went to a 5-on-3 kill in the late stages of the game. A great way to cap off a signature victory is to showcase your strong penalty-kill, especially on a two-man disadvantage. Colten Drillen-Roach continued his stellar play for the Tomahawks in this one as he shut down the Titans on their power play and capped off a strong 31 save performance. With under two-minutes to play, the captain Nick Jarmain sealed the deal with an empty net goal to make it 4-1. Final shots on goal for the contest were 32-22 in favor of New Jersey.
Your Johnstown Tomahawks will get back in action this coming weekend on October 10th and 11th for another road series, as they visit the Rochester Jr. Americans. Puck drop on Friday 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