JOHNSTOWN —
Corey Schafer grew up in Westmont and regularly attended Johnstown Chiefs games.
One of the players Schafer wanted to pattern his own game after is Jason Spence, who gained a loyal following of local fans for his tough-as-nails playing style as a member of the former ECHL franchise.
There’s no doubt that the former Chiefs player and current coach of the Johnstown Tomahawks came away impressed with Schafer after the former three-time MVP of the Hilltoppers’ varsity hockey team played his first two games with the NAHL franchise.
Schafer was acquired Thursday in a trade that sent defenseman Kristaps Bazevics to the Wichita Falls Wildcats.
Schafer started Saturday in a 4-2 loss to Port Huron and played a key role in Sunday’s 6-2 victory over Soo at Cambria County War Memorial Arena. Schafer picked up his first point on an assist of a Brandon Reinholz goal in the second period. He even came close to dropping the gloves a few seconds later before a linesman intervened.
“I didn’t really know Coach Spence before I got here except for watching him at the Chiefs games. I pretty much went to all the Chiefs games,” Schafer said. “I try to play like him, but I can’t fight like him.”
Schafer, however, can help the Tomahawks, which is why General Manager Rick Boyd targeted him as a trade prospect. Boyd previously worked with Schafer in the Amateur Penguins organization and continued to follow him as he scored 67 points in only 19 PIHL games in his final season at Westmont Hilltop.
He’s already impressing the Tomahawks.
“He started (Saturday) night and he deserved it,” Spence said. “When you come here and play in front of friends and family, there’s a lot of expectations, but he’s giving it his best effort. He played a great game (against Port Huron).”
Schafer tallied three assists in 19 games with Wichita Falls. Throughout his time with the Wildcats, he kept an eye on the hometown team.
“Being here is awesome. Getting to play junior hockey in my hometown is a dream come true,” said Schafer. “That first game back was really nerve wracking, but once it started, it became another hockey game.”
Tomahawks
Schafer relishes role on hometown team
- Tomahawks
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Tomahawks force deciding Game 3
The Johnstown Tomahawks will get at least one more game.
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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.
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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.
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