The Johnstown Tomahawks used a balanced attack to defeat the visiting Rebels 4 – 1 last night in game one of this two-game series. It was the third time in as many tries this season that Johnstown has beaten Philadelphia.
Just forty-four seconds into the game, Shawn Ramsey was called for hooking to give Johnstown the man advantage. A minute and fourteen seconds later the Tomahawks took a 1 – 0 lead. Johnstown’s Zach Aben started the play along the far side half wall inside the Rebels zone and passed the biscuit back to Justin Gibson at the point. Gibson sent a return pass to Aben. As Aben skated to the top of the circle, he sent a backhanded return pass to Gibson who took a shot from the high slot that found its way through a screen and past Lukas Fursten for Gibson’s sixth goal of the season.
Johnstown doubled their lead with 4:14 remaining in the opening period. With play inside the Rebels zone, the Tomahawks’ Will Moore picked up the loose puck at the bottom of the near side faceoff dot and made a pass back to Lukas Klemm at the top of the far side circle. Klemm stepped up and took a wrister that went through a screen and beat Fursten high, blocker side for Klemm’s fifth goal of the season.
At 2:09 into the middle stanza former Rebel Reid Lune scored his second goal of the season off a turnover inside Philadelphia’s zone. After the puck squirted out from a scrum at the near side circle, it was picked up by Tyler Stern. As Stern went to carry the puck, it was knocked off his stick by Johnstown’s Chase Sandhu and the biscuit went right to Lune at the bottom of the circle and he took a wrist shot along the ice that beat Fursten long side to make it a 3 – 0 game.
Jared Coccimiglio put the Rebels on the board at 3:54 into the second period. Johnstown’s Davis Ross picked up the loose puck in his own zone and flipped it high into the air, but it was gloved down by Ryan Vaites at center ice. Vaites made a quick pass to Billy Sheridan on his right and as Sheridan gained the offensive zone line, he made a cross-ice pass to Coccimiglio who took a one-timer that beat Johnstown’s goaltender Jacob Osborne to make it 3 – 1.
Moore scored with 5:17 remaining in the second to make it a 4 – 1 game and close out the scoring.
Fursten stopped 34 of 38 shots while Osborne turned aside 34 of 35. Click here for the complete box score.
