The clock in the Johnstown Chiefs’ locker room was approaching 7 p.m. on Thursday night.
Chiefs coach Ian Herbers had no news to report on the player personnel front.
No one called up. No one sent down. No new injuries.
“This will be the first time since early December that we’ll have the same lineup in back-to-back games,” said Herbers, whose Chiefs will host Mississippi tonight. “We’re excited and looking forward to that.”
The two newest Chiefs arrived in time for Wednesday’s 3-1 win over Mississippi at Cambria County War Memorial Arena. But the trip wasn’t typical.
“Our new guys came in and played well, especially after traveling three days across the country to get here in time for the game,” Herbers said of defenseman Ryan Card and forward Toby LaFrance. “Now they’ll have some time to get adjusted and get to know the team and what’s expected of them.”
LaFrance, acquired from the Stockton (Calif.) Thunder, had three shots, an even rating and seven penalty minutes, including a fight against former Chief Justin Coutu.
“LaFrance was able to move the puck and make some plays,” Herbers said. “He was strong on the puck. He finished some checks. He was involved in a fight. Those are things we’re looking for in guys who want to come here and compete.”
Card, obtained in a trade with the Ontario (Calif.) Reign, had a plus-1 rating with one shot. His presence helped shore up a depleted defensive corps.
“Card ate up a bunch of minutes for us,” Herbers said. “He played a good, sound simple game, and that’s all we’re looking for. We just want him to get to pucks quickly, make the right decisions and move the puck to our forwards. The quicker we can move the puck, the quicker we can transition.”
Petr Pohl extended his point scoring streak to six games with two goals and an assist. Todd Griffith, who joined Pohl’s line with Blair Yaworski, had a goal and an assist.
Kris Mayotte made 23 saves in his 16th win. Former Chief goalie Ryan Munce had a solid outing for the Sea Wolves, stopping 28 shots, including all 14 in the second period when the Chiefs frequently pressured him.
Johnstown ended a two-game losing streak and bumped its January record to 3-7.
“We have to make some adjustments and be ready to play a stronger game (tonight),” Herbers said.
Chiefs
Newcomers 'played well' for Chiefs
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Slapshot Cup expands to 18 teams in second year
The Slapshot Cup Hockey Tournament has expanded for its second year in Johnstown.
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Former players rally to help ‘Ziggy'
Randy Rowe felt it was so important to wear the specially designed Ziggy’s Fundraiser sweater that he juggled his schedule and planned a 91⁄2-hour drive from Belleville, Ontario, to Richland Township.
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Johnstown sufferes an epic loss
The final seconds ticked down in the Johnstown Chiefs’ ECHL existence on Saturday night, and even though the hometown team trailed by four goals, a standing-room-only crowd began chanting, “Let’s go Chiefs.”
That chant would be nothing out of the ordinary on most nights. But this game was the last game.
Twenty-two ECHL seasons and thousands of memories came to a conclusion when the Chiefs dropped a 5-3 contest to Elmira at Cambria County War Memorial Arena. -
Mike Mastovich: ‘A sad night for Johnstown’
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So, this is it.
Twenty-two ECHL seasons and 1,518 regular-season games.
It ends tonight at a sold-out Cambria County War Memorial Arena. -
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The Johnstown Chiefs dropped the final road game in team history on Friday night, falling behind early and failing to catch up to the Cincinnati Cyclones in a 5-1 loss in front of more than 10,000 fans at U.S. Bank Arena.
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From goalies to grinders to scorers, the Chiefs have seen it all
Nineteen seasons of covering the Johnstown Chiefs have been filled with numerous ups and downs, unexpected twists and more than enough bizarre antics.
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