JOHNSTOWN, Pa. — The Philadelphia Rebels built an early lead and held off the Johnstown Tomahawks for a 5–3 victory Friday night at 1st Summit Arena.
Fresh off being named East Division Second Star of the Week, Brayton Frick opened the scoring for Philadelphia in the first period, deflecting a shot from defenseman Marshall Swanson past Johnstown goaltender Nikita Oleksiienko. Frick’s goal marked his third consecutive contest in which he’s found the back of the net.
The Rebels extended their lead in the second period when Charlie Spencer scored on a 2-on-1 feed from Dylan Moran, making his debut with the team. Jordan Brothers then scored in tight off passes from Joe Stauber and Billy Sheridan, giving Philadelphia a 3–0 advantage.
Johnstown responded with three goals in the second period to tie the game, including tallies from Nick Jarmain, Charlie Zetterkvist and Kalib Capecci.
Philadelphia regained control in the third period, with Broxton Ingle scoring on the power play and Alex Lunski adding an insurance goal following quick passing from Moran and Spencer.
Spencer finished the night with two points, while Moran contributed two assists, making an immediate impact. Defensemen Joe Stauber, Ryan Ickes and Marshall Swanson also recorded assists.
Goaltender Ilja Nikitins stopped 17 of 20 shots for the win. Philadelphia outshot Johnstown 43–20 and limited the Tomahawks to just five shots in the third period, controlling play down the stretch.
Philadelphia improves to 9-11-1-3 with the win, while Johnstown falls to 11-8-3-0. The Rebels will try to extend their point streak to six when they meet the Tomahawks again Saturday night to complete the two-game series.