The Titans will host the East Division leading Johnstown Tomahawks this weekend at the Middletown Sports Complex with the two-game series beginning at 7:30PM on Friday night and then at 7:00PM on Saturday evening.
Tomahawks and Titans Overview
This will be the seventh and eighth meetings between the teams this season with Johnstown winning four of the first six games by a combined score of 23 to 18. The last time they played was on Thursday, February 4 when Titans captain Jake Suede scored with 0:06.8 remaining in the game to give New Jersey a 6 – 5 win.
Including this weekend, six of the eight games between the teams have been held at the Middletown Sports Complex.
Jay Ahearn leads the Tomahawks with seven (3 goals and 4 assists) total points against New Jersey, while Brendan Clark and Ahearn each have scored three goals. Johnstown is 3 for 20 (15%) on the powerplay and they have allowed two shorthanded goals to New Jersey. The Tomahawks netminders have a combined 2.81 goals against average and .889 save percentage with no shutouts.
Levente Keresztes leads the Titans with seven points (2 goals and 5 assists) against the Tomahawks while Jake LaRusso has scored the most goals against them with three (LaRusso has a total of six points against Johnstown). The Titans are 4 for 16 (25%) on the powerplay, and they have allowed two shorthanded goals to Johnstown. The Titans netminders have a combined 3.60 goals against average and .909 save percentage.
Tomahawks Overview
The Tomahawks currently lead the East Division with a 20-5-2-1 record for 43 points. They are coming off a 2 – 1 road win against the Maryland Black Bears, and they are 9 – 1 in their last ten games. The Tomahawks have scored 112 goals (second in the league) on the season while they have allowed 74 (seventh in the league). Johnstown is 18 for 111 (16.2%) on the powerplay (13th in the league), and they have allowed nine shorthanded goals (most in the league). The Tomahawks are 84.2% efficient on the penalty kill (10th in the league).
Johnstown has three of the league’s top six scorers with Ahearn’s team high 37 points (17 goals and 20 assists), Clark’s 34 points (10 goals and 24 assists) and John Gelatt’s 33 points (17 goals and 16 assists). Ahearn and Gelatt each have a team high 17 goals. Gelatt also leads the team with five game winning goals. Ryan Poorman and Gelatt each have a team best +23. Max Neill leads the team in penalty minutes with 93.
Johnstown’s goaltenders have a combined 2.55 goals against average and .910 save percentage with two shutouts (Sam Evola).
Titans Overview
The Titans are currently in third place in the East Division with a 13-11-1-4 for 31 points (12 points behind division leading Johnstown). They are coming off the 4 – 3 home loss to the Northeast Generals, and they are 6 – 4 in their last ten games. New Jersey has scored 104 goals on the season (fourth in the league) while they have allowed 99 (20th in the league). The Titans have converted on 18.8% (21 for 112) on the powerplay (10th in the league). They have allowed five goals while on the man advantage. The Titans are 85.1% efficient on the penalty kill (eighth in the league).
Evan Werner leads the team with 27 total points (15 goals and 12 assists) and goals (15). Jack Ring and Werner each have two game winning goals. Anthony Mollica has a team best of +13. Brad Zona has a team high 97 penalty minutes.
The Titans have a combined 3.19 goals against average and .907 save percentage with no shutouts.