READING — Jeff Flanagan wanted to see how his team would respond to a difficult situation.
His Johnstown Chiefs were playing for the third consecutive day and for the fourth time in five days. Worse yet, they were on the road against the first-place Reading Royals.
It didn’t take Flanagan long to find out.
The Chiefs scored three first-period goals and Kris Mayotte made 41 saves in a 4-2 victory over Reading, which fell into second place after losing to Johnstown for the second consecutive day.
“We had talked about it, especially the guys to each other, (saying) ‘we need a good start and to be focused and hold that lead,’ ” Flanagan said. “It gives the guys a little confidence and allows us to play our game and not grip the stick so tight.”
It didn’t take David Schulz long to light a spark for the Chiefs. The defenseman fought Royals blue-liner Scott Fletcher just nine seconds into the game.
“Schulzy was just responding to some things that happened (Saturday) night,” Flanagan said. “He’s been doing that quite a bit lately, fighting, and the guys are pretty pumped up for him. He’s doing the simple things on defense. He’s just doing his job very well.”
Ryan Menei, on the other hand, had been struggling. But the Chiefs forward broke out of his slump with three points on Sunday. He had a hand in two of the Chiefs’ three goals in 21/2-minute span during the first period.
“We went to work and really worked hard down low in the offensive zone,” Flanagan said. “Honestly, they just couldn’t skate with us.”
Menei set up Troy Schwab’s goal midway through the first period with a second assist from Schulz.
Just 24 seconds after Dan Collins made it 2-0 on assists from Russ Sinkewich and Chase Watson, Menei got his third goal of the third season. And it was a long time coming.
“He’s been struggling of late,” Flanagan said of Menei, who was set up by Conor Shields and Greg Gallagher. “He put his nose to the grindstone and tried to be a more simple player. He helped out his linemates (Sunday). He was in the right spot and just ripped it in the net. It’s good to see him producing.”
Reading made it 3-1 on Greg Scott’s goal with a little more than a minute left in the first and got back into the game when Ben Gordon scored a power-play goal 51/2 minutes into the second.
From there, Mayotte took over the game. The Pittsburgh native, who was an ECHL all-star last season, kept the Chiefs in front, making 23 of his 41 saves during the final two periods.
“He was awesome,” Flanagan said. “He was real confident in net. There were a couple of saves that should have gone in, but he kept them out. That’s what a goalie does when he’s playing well – he makes all the saves that he should and some of the ones he shouldn’t.”
Gallagher gave the Chiefs some breathing room with a goal from the point with 2:06 remaining in the third.
“It helps us when we can come back like that and respond to another teams pressure on us,” Flanagan said. “They certainly did that with Reading.”
The Chiefs also have responded during the past week, beating the Royals three times since Wednesday.
“Anytime, it’s tough to play three in three, and us having four in five days, the fatigue factor comes in,” Flanagan said. “Just winning three games against Reading, which is leading our division, is really solidifying our confidence. “
Chiefs
First-period flurry carries Chiefs
- 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’
Scott Allen stood on the New York Islanders bench during Saturday’s game against the Ottawa Senators.
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Johnstown Chiefs in their last game at Cambria County War Memorial Arena. The irony was obvious. -
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Mike Mastovich: 10 Defining moments in Chiefs history
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. -
Chiefs drop final road game
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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