Goaltending options plentiful for Tomahawks
Aug. 28—EBENSBURG, Pa. — Mike Letizia has been with the Johnstown Tomahawks since the North American Hockey League team relocated to the Keystone State from Alaska 11 years ago, but the head coach has never seen a goaltending situation like the one his team has this preseason.
Matt O'Donnell and Dominik Wasik, the team's goaltending duo at the end of last season, return. The Tomahawks drafted Alec Rajalin-Scharp in the sixth round of the NAHL entry draft in June. They also brought in tender Jacob Torgner and signed Lucas Brine as a free agent.
"We've probably never had five goalies in training camp, at least as far as I can remember, but they've all earned the right to be in training camp," Letizia said Saturday afternoon after the Red Team defeated the Blue 5-4 in an intrasquad scrimmage at North Central Recreation Center in Ebensburg. "They've all shown well in training camp so far."
O'Donnell played 20 games with Tomahawks after being acquired in a trade on Jan. 14. The 19-year-old from Waterbury, Connecticut, recorded a 19-9-6 record, 2.72 goals against average and .901 save percentage last season between the Wichita Falls Warriors and Tomahawks.
Wasik, 20, came to Johnstown from the Aberdeen Wings on Feb. 3. He played nine games with the Tomahawks, and the native of Superior, Colorado, had a 15-10-1, 3.31 GAA and .890 save percentage over the full season.
Having played for the Tomahawks last year could benefit O'Donnell and Wasik, even if it's just because of their comfort level in Johnstown.
"It's good for sure," O'Donnell said. "I think a lot of chemistry was built up between Dom and me last year. Some guys skated with us last year. It's very nice so far."
Rajalin-Scharp is a 19-year-old from Stockholm, Sweden, who has never played outside of his home country. Torgner, 18, is from Mjolby, Sweden, but has spent the past three seasons in North America. He played 39 games with Philadelphia in the National Collegiate Development Conference, where he went 20-11-6 with a 2.60 GAA and .920 save percentage.
Brine is from England but has played in North America since 2015, including six games at Division III Arcadia University last season, where he went 1-3-0 with a 3.89 GAA and .880 save percentage.
On Saturday, all five played for the Tomahawks. Letizia would like to see more of each before making any moves. The team will play an exhibition game at the Philadelphia Rebels on Friday before returning home for another intrasquad scrimmage on Saturday at 1st Summit Arena @ Cambria County War Memorial.
"We obviously can't keep five all year," Letizia said. "They're all battling, they all bring something different to the table. We know that it's a position that is of ultra importance. To have any success, you have to have consistent, quality goaltending."
Zach Aben scored twice for the Red Team on Saturday, with defensemen Frank Jenkins, Will Bowman and Blake Polifka also finding the net. Ryan Vellucci, Justin Rapp, Will Lawrence and David Matousek scored for the Blue Team.
Despite the nine combined goals, Letizia didn't have a problem with the goaltending.
"We saw them all make saves," he said. "I don't think anybody let in a bad goal."
Letizia liked what he saw from his team on Saturday.
"The compete level was there. I thought the playmaking was getting there," Letizia said. "There's still a lot to work on this week, but for the first real live scrimmage, it wasn't too bad."
O'Donnell expects the Tomahawks to produce another strong season, no matter who is between the pipes.
"I think the team's going to be really good this year," he said. "We're looking really good, and I think we're going to have a big year."
