JAMESTOWN, N.Y. —
After struggling away from the Cambria County War Memorial Arena early in the season, the Johnstown Tomahawks are turning into road warriors thanks to Brandon Reinholz and a surging power play.
Reinholz scored his third goal of the weekend, and eighth in seven road games this season, and set up captain Mitch Kontny’s game-winner on the power play early in the third period Saturday night as the Tomahawks pushed their road unbeaten streak to five games (4-0-1) with a 3-2 victory over the first-place Ironmen at Jamestown Savings Bank Ice Arena.
Johnstown, which has won a season-high four straight games, converted two of five power-play chances Saturday to complete a weekend sweep that started with four power-play goals in a 5-3 win Friday night. The third-place Tomahawks are now just six points behind first-place Jamestown in the North Division.
Goaltender Chris Truehl, who has committed to continue his career at Air Force next season, stopped 35 shots while making his fifth start in seven games. His play was especially critical in the opening period, when he stopped all 17 Jamestown shots on his way to yet another solid performance.
Johnstown (11-6-6) took a 2-1 lead into the third period and then extended it at 5:55 just eight seconds after Mitch Hall was called for cross-checking. Kontny won the draw back to Casey Nelson, and his shot bounced to Reinholz at the bottom of the right circle. Reinholz circled behind the net, then fed Kontny in the slot for his 11th goal, extending his scoring streak to eight games (6-4-10).
The Johnstown power play, ranked fifth in the NAHL coming into the game, is now 15-for-42 (35.7 percent) in the last eight games and 29-for-128 (22.6 percent) on the season.
The Ironmen (16-6-2) pulled back within 3-2 at 9:42 of the third when a Luc Gerdes shot found its way past Truehl just nine seconds after Gerdes finished serving a hooking minor. But that was as close as the Ironmen got on their way to a third straight loss.
Jamestown played a strong opening period, outshooting the Tomahawks, 17-6 – the most shots allowed by Johnstown in the opening period this season. The Ironmen got seven of those shots during a pair of power plays, but Truehl was perfect in goal for Johnstown, which has allowed only 13 first-period goals in 23 games this season.
The second period told a different story for Johnstown. After Dylan Zink took a slashing penalty at the end of the first period and Elliot Tisdale followed with a high-sticking minor at 1:44 of the second, the Tomahawks had a two-man advantage for 16 seconds. Their power play needed only 11 seconds to produce the game’s first goal.
Nelson fed the puck from the top of the right circle to Cody Gylling at the goal line extended to the left of goaltender Tim Shaughnessy. Gylling looked his options over and then fired a shot past Shaughnessy on the short side for his sixth goal of the season. The assist extended Nelson’s scoring streak to five games (2-3-5) and, at that point, gave Johnstown five power-play goals in eight chances for the weekend.
Johnstown limited Jamestown to just one shot in the first 13 minutes of the second period, and the Tomahawks then built their lead to 2-0 at 15:11 when the rebound of a Jake Fairchild shot bounced to Reinholz at the bottom of the left wing circle and Reinholz fired it past Shaughnessy for his 11th goal of the season.
Jamestown cut the lead in half just 1:45 later at 16:56 when Victor Johansson beat Truehl from the right circle off a two-on-one pass from Ross Pavek. The Tomahawks then killed a slashing minor to Andrew McDonald to stop the Ironmen’s momentum and take their 2-1 lead into the third period.
Johnstown, two games into a stretch of six consecutive road games, will play in Wenatchee, Wash., Friday and Saturday.
Notes: Only Bismarck (11) and Soo (12) have allowed fewer first-period goals than Johnstown. … Fairchild has points in three straight games (1-2-3). … The Tomahawks played with just 19 skaters as defenseman Jesse Kessler missed his first game of the season.. … Kontny’s eight-game scoring streak matches the longest current streak in the NAHL, and only five players have had longer streaks this season. … Heading into Saturday’s late action, only Amarillo (five) had a longer current win streak than Johnstown. … Only four NAHL teams have fewer regulation losses than the Tomahawks (six).
Tomahawks
Related Photos
-
Johnstown Tomahawks goalie Chris Truehl, shown earlier in the season, made 35 saves Saturday against Jamestown. John Rucosky
Discussion
Tomahawks run road win streak to four
- Tomahawks
-
-
MAKING AN IMPACT | Tomahawks’ first season helps business, community
The Johnstown Tomahawks filled a void for the city’s hockey-starved fans while also pumping a boost into the region’s economy during their inaugural North American Hockey League season.
-
Despite playoff loss, first Tomahawks season successful
The Johnstown Towmahawks’ inaugural season opened with an overtime loss at Port Huron and ended with a gutwrenching overtime setback to the Fighting Falcons Sunday at Cambria County War Memorial Arena.
-
IT'S A WRAP | Miller’s overtime goal ends Tomahawks’ inaugural season
The result of Sunday’s NAHL Robertson Cup Playoff game wasn’t the one that the Johnstown Tomahawks wanted. Port Huron’s Ian Miller made sure of that just 3:28 into overtime.
-
MIKE KOVAK | Another stinging playoff setback
Before the puck dropped Sunday afternoon, the Olympia ice resurfacer crashed into the boards and a linesman lost his balance on his way to the ice at Cambria County War Memorial Arena.
-
Tomahawks confident as Game 3 approaches
The Johnstown Tomahawks played winning hockey on the road throughout the 2012-13 NAHL season, but that fact did little to quell the team’s collective apprehension as it headed into Game 2 of the North Division play-in series Friday night at Port Huron.
-
Tomahawks force deciding Game 3
The Johnstown Tomahawks will get at least one more game.
-
Tomahawks shut out in playoff opener
A trio of third-period goals proved too much for the Johnstown Tomahawks to match as the Port Huron Fighting Falcons took Game 1 of the NAHL’s Robertson Cup North Division Play-in series by a 3-0 tally Thursday at McMorran Arena.
The Fighting Falcons, the North Division’s fourth seed, used goals from Ryan Nick, Mitch Maloney and Rick DeRosa to grab a 1-0 lead in the best-of-3 series. -
Tomahawks planning on short series
No offense hockey fans, but the Johnstown Tomahawks aren’t planning to play a home game in front of a potentially sold-out, sure-to-be-raucous crowd Sunday afternoon at Cambria County War Memorial Arena.
The goal for these Tomahawks, who qualified for the NAHL playoffs in their inaugural season in the Flood City, is to win two games at Port Huron (Mich.) starting tonight and advance in the best-of-3 North Division play-in series. -
Johnstown to open playoffs at Port Huron
If the Johnstown Tomahawks are looking to bring postseason hockey back to Cambria County War Memorial, they’ll have to at the very least forge a split of the first two games of their best-of-3 play-in series against fourth-place Port Huron.
-
Loss drops Johnstown to fifth seed in playoffs
The Johnstown Tomahawks fell 2-1 to the Jamestown Ironmen and finished in the No. 5 spot in the NAHL’s North Division on Saturday.
- More Tomahawks Headlines
-
Looking for Love? Take the Prague Metro
Crews Race to Find Survivors of Okla. Twister
First Person: Baby Falcons on a New York Bridge
Oklahoma: Images of Devastation, Reunion
Reunited Dad, Son: 'We Just Praise God'
Slow Pokes: Acupuncture Helps Sick Turtles
Moore, Okla. City of Reunions, Tears After Storm
Former IRS Chief: Can't Say How List Happened
Gov. Fallin: Okla. Facing Horrific Disaster
Tim Cook Defends Apple's Tax Accounting
AP Photograher: 'It Was a Miracle' They Got Out
Raw: Crews Search for Survivors of Okla. Tornado
Raw: Tearful Reunion After Okla. Tornado
OKC Hospital Describes Treating Tornado Wounded
Obama Pledges Urgent Aid for Tornado Victims
Raw: Massive Funnel Clouds in Oklahoma
