JOHNSTOWN, P.A. – The Elmira Aviators (8-10-3-0) dropped their second straight game in overtime to the Johnstown Tomahawks (11-7-3-0) 4-3 at 1st Summit Arena Saturday night.
The Aviators mounted a ferocious three-goal comeback in a game that featured a goalie fight, intense special teams and high tensions.
Elmira got behind the eight ball 37 seconds into the hockey game with Emerson Marshall drawing first blood for the Tomahawks. Johnstown added on as defenseman Cam Ross scored his first goal of the season to make it 2-0.
The Aviators had a tremendous opportunity to get on the board with 1:14 of five-on-three power play time at the end of the period. However, the East’s top penalty kill came to play, remaining perfect on the weekend with disciplined work in the d-zone.
Johnstown looked to be running away with it when they took a 3-0 lead early in the middle period. But the Aviators are no strangers to comebacks, especially of the three-goal variety.
Last weekend against Maine, Elmira erased a three-goal deficit to force overtime. The Aviators did the same Saturday.
Max Campbell got the party started, burying a rebound goal seconds after an Elmira power play expired. Max McGuire got the second off a tremendous feed from Jack Kohlmann from his knees.
Then, chaos. The second period ended with a massive scrum culminating in a goalie fight between Johnstown’s Zack Ferris and Elmira’s Vladimir Pechenin.
The feud began when Jake Barrata steered a rebound shot wide of Ferris’ goal after the second period horn had sounded. Ferris, furious, was ready to challenge any available opponent to fisticuffs. Pechenin answered the bell.
The goaltenders shared center ice in an exhilarating tilt, with Pechenin getting the upper hand and leaving Ferris bloodied. Both netminders delivered heavy right hooks, but Pechenin used his five-inch height advantage to do most of the damage.
The result, both teams’ goaltenders were out for the game and potentially facing further discipline. The final period of regulation began with the teams at four-on-four.
The Aviators took advantage of the open ice, tying the game at three. Andrew Horn finished the chance for his first goal of the campaign.
The rest of the third was intense. Both teams had chances to score due to new goaltenders entering the game who didn’t expect to play. But the score held firm at three, and the sides went off to overtime.
For the second consecutive night, new Tomahawk Nick Metelkin played a decisive role in the overtime winner. Meltelkin took the frozone biscuit all 200 feet before sliding it across the crease to captain Nick Jarmain for an easy tap-in.
Johnstown took the sweep on home ice, but the Aviators managed to extend their points streak to five games with a pair of overtime losses.
Next weekend, the Aviators return home to the LECOM Event Center to battle the New Jersey Titans. Game 1 is Friday, Nov. 21, at 7 p.m. and Game 2 is Saturday, Nov. 22, also at 7 p.m.
The games can be streamed on NATV or listened to on WINGZ93.
Mac Young is the play-by-play voice of the Elmira Aviators. To contact him, email [email protected].