SEWELL, NJ- The Philadelphia Rebels opened their preseason slate Friday afternoon against the Johnstown Tomahawks with a 4-1 win powered by a strong performance on special teams.
The Rebels took the lead early in the first period on a power play goal by Dylan Blue. The first period ended with the Rebels leading 1-0.
“I thought the effort was there from start to finish,” said Rebels Head Coach Justin Hale. “I was happy that [the team] kept working to perfect some of the things we have been preaching.”
The Rebels found their groove in the second period, scoring three goals in the middle frame. The first goal of the period was scored by Charles Panchisin on a no-look back-handed shot to extend the Rebels’ lead to 2-0. David Deputy followed that with a short-handed goal to push the Rebels lead to 3-0. Rounding out the Rebels’ strong period was Trever Burns, who added another goal for the Rebels to extend their lead to 4-0 heading into the third period.
Johnstown got one back in the third when Ryan Panico added a goal late in the period to make the score 4-1. The Rebels held on after that for a three-goal win to open the preseason.
The Rebels hit the road on Saturday to face the New Jersey Titans, a game that can be seen on HockeyTV. With the home opener scheduled for Friday, Sept. 23 against the Maryland Black Bears, Philadelphia has three more preseason games to prepare for the regular season.
