In an evenly well-played game, Johnstown’s Will Lawrence scored the lone goal in the skills competition to give the Tomahawks a 2 – 1 win over the visiting Rebels. Despite the loss, the Rebels gained a point for the sixth and final playoff birth and moved within two points of the Northeast Generals who lost earlier this evening 5 – 4 to the New Hampshire Mountain Kings.
it was Philadelphia’s tenth game out of their last eleven in which they earned a point.
Johnstown’s Nick White opened scoring with 1:11 remaining in the first period. The Tomahawks’ Will Moore picked up the loose puck inside the Rebels zone at the far side faceoff circle and skated towards the blueline where he passed the biscuit to Dylan Shane at the top of the point. Shane took a wrist shot that found its way through a screen and redirected by White out front and past Jakub Krbecek for White’s twelfth goal of the season.
Bryce Strand evened the score with 1:08 left in the second period. Shane Carr picked up the loose puck at the top of his own far side faceoff circle and made a backhanded cross-ice pass to Strand. While Strand initially looked to pass the biscuit, he saw the lane open up and he carried the puck himself through center ice and into the offensive zone. As he gained the line, he split the Johnstown defenders and took a wrist shot that beat Tomahawks’ goalie Jacob Osborne for Strand’s third goal of the season.
After a scoreless third that sent the game into overtime, each team had their chances to win in the extra period but Krbecek and Osborne had to make key saves to send the game into skills competition where Lawrence scored the lone goal to give Johnstown the win.
Krbecek and Osborne each turned aside 28 of 29 shots. Click HERE for the complete box score. Game two of this two-game series will be tomorrow night starting at 7:00PM.
