After nearly a month away, Tomahawks return home with momentum
Nov. 10—The Johnstown Tomahawks will return to 1st Summit Arena @ Cambria County War Memorial for the first time in nearly a month for a pair of NAHL games.
The Tomahawks will bring a two-game winning streak and some momentum with them for games against the Philadelphia Rebels at 7:30 p.m. Friday and 7 p.m. Saturday. The franchise will commemorate Veterans Day by honoring men and women who served their country.
"I think for us last weekend, it was about winning in different ways," Johnstown coach Mike Letizia said of 6-1 and 4-3 road victories over the Northeast Generals.
"We jumped out to the big early lead Saturday with four goals in the first 10 minutes. That doesn't happen often, but it was a welcomed sight. From there though, it was finishing the game off.
"Sunday, we expected them to come hard and they did.
"Even though we were behind, our guys were resilient and just stuck with their beliefs as we chipped away at their lead and then took control of the third period to ultimately get the win."
Johnstown (10-7-1) jumped into fourth place with 21 points in the NAHL East Division.
Philadelphia (7-8-0) is in eighth place with 14 points.
Tomahawks leading scorer Zach Aben earned NAHL East Division star of the week after scoring two goals and four points in the two wins at Northeast.
Aben is on a seven-game point streak, with six goals and 15 points during that stretch.
He has 10 goals and 21 points overall.
"He contributes offensively," Letizia said. "He plays a great 200-foot game.
"He has been the ultimate leader for us and his production over the last few weeks has taken off tremendously, which is a testament to his unwavering drive to succeed."
Will Lawrence is second on the team with four goals and 17 points, and Justin Gibson is third with five goals and 14 points. Seven Tomahawks have collected at least 10 points.
Goaltenders Jacob Osborne (8-3-1) and Zack Ferris (2-4-0) have combined for 10 wins.
The Tomahawks also made a few additions during the string of road games.
"Two new additions over the last two weeks have been Jaden Johnson from the Green Bay Gamblers in the USHL and Chase Sandhu from the Danbury Jr. Hat Tricks," Letizia said. "Both have provided immediately to our team.
"Jaden is a young player with so much high-end skill as well as infectious youthful energy.
"Chase has been a successful veteran in Danbury who was looking for a change of scenery and an opportunity here in Johnstown. He has been a really strong pick up not only on the ice, but on the bench and in the room. He has a veteran calmness about him that has been very important to our team."
The Rebels have three players with 12 points, including Greg Spitnagel, Klaus Jogi and Kris Samitis. Goaltenders Lukas Fursten (3-4-0) and Jack Fialkoff (4-4-0) share time in net.
"Philly is a good, fast team that can activate offensively in a hurry," Letizia said. "They also have a strong, disciplined penalty kill so we know that our power play will have a tall task in front of them."
The Tomahawks swept Philadelphia on the road on Sept. 22 (6-3) and Sept. 23 (1-0).
