Tomahawks travel to IceWorks for two important games
The East Divisions two top tops faceoff against each other this weekend pitting the first place Aston Rebels against the second place Johnstown Tomahawks. The Tomahawks are only four points behind the Rebels but have two games in hand.
These two teams have met four times so far this season with the Rebels having a 3 – 1 record. The last time they met the Rebels won in overtime on a goal by Brennan Kapcheck back on November 12. Despite having a winning record against the Tomahawks, the games have been very close. The Rebels have scored a total of ten goals while Johnstown has scored nine. The Rebels are two for 14 on the power play while Johnstown is three for 15.
Donovan Ott leads the Tomahawks with five points (2 goals and 3 assists) against Aston. He is followed by Filips Buncis (2 goals and 1 assist) and Adam Pilewicz’s (1 goal and 2 assists) three points each. Drew Hotte played in three games between the pipes and has a 2.33 goals against average and .920 save percentage with one shutout.
Against the Tomahawks the Rebels are led by three players with three points each: Dom Garcia (2 goals and 1 assist), Kapcheck (2 goals and 1 assist) and Aaron Maguyon (3 assists).
Johnstown Tomahawks Overview
The Tomahawks are currently in second place in the East Division with a 29-8-2-1 record for 61 points, four behind the Rebels. Johnstown is coming off of a 4 – 3 win over the Northeast Generals. The Tomahawks have won eight out of their last ten games. The Tomahawks have scored 150 goals (second most in the league) and have allowed 91 (second least in the league) through 40 games.
The Tomahawks are led by Dalton Hunter’s 45 points (24 goals and 21 assists). He is accompanied by Nicholas Bruce’s 40 points (15 goals and 25 assists) and Donovan Ott’s thirty nine points (22 goals and 17 assists). Hunter has the most goals on the team with 24. Adam Pilewicz leads the Tomahawks defensemen with 24 points (3 goals and 21 assists). Hunter leads the team with seven game winning goals.
Johnstown is ranked tenth in the league on the power play with a 20.2% conversion ratio while they are ranked sixth in the league on the penalty kill preventing the opposition from scoring 84.1% of the time. Thomas Horn leads the team with 184 penalty minutes. Hunter has the team’s best +/- ratio of +34.
Goaltenders Drew Hotte and Vinnie Purpura have a combined 2.21 goals against average and a .918 save percentage along with six shut outs (four for Hotte, including one against the Rebels).
Aston Rebels Overview
The Rebels lead the East Division with a record of 32-9-1 for 65 points. The Rebels are coming off of a 5 – 3 loss against the New Jersey Titans. The Rebels have won six of their last ten games. The Rebels have scored 149 goals (fifth best in the league) and have allowed only 78 goals (least amount in the NAHL) through 42 games.
The Rebels are led by Andrew Bellant’s 40 points (22 goals and 18 assists). He is followed by Dom Garcia’s 36 points (10 goals and 26 assists). Four players (Drew Blackmun, Gvido Jansons and Brennan Kapcheck) each have thirty five points. Bellant also leads the team in goals with 22 and game winning goals with five. .
The Rebels are ranked sixth in the league on the power play with a 21.7% conversion ratio while they are ranked third in the league on the penalty kill preventing the opposition from scoring 85.4% of the time. Bellant leads the team with 119 penalty minutes. Kapcheck leads the team with a +33 +/- ratio.
The goaltending tandem of Mareks Mitens and Jack Leavy has a combined 1.85 goals against average and a .922 save percentage with thirteen shutouts.
