The New Jersey Titans will host the Johnstown Tomahawks for a pivotal two game set at the Middletown Sports Complex this weekend. New Jersey trails Johnstown by 6 points with a game in hand in a tight East Division race.
Both teams enter the weekend riding 3 game winning streaks, with shutouts against Philadelphia as each team’s last victory. With a record of 34-19-3, the Tomahawks are tied alongside Rochester for 3rd place in the division, though Johnstown holds the tiebreaker with two more wins. New Jersey, meanwhile, holds a record of 31-21-3, and can finish no lower than 5th place in the standings.
At stake this weekend is the opportunity to host the Play-In Round of the East Division playoffs. The higher seeds, currently Johnstown and Rochester, will host all 3 games in the opening round of the extended season. If the playoffs were to begin today, New Jersey would travel to Rochester to begin their pursuit of the 2024 Robertson Cup.
The Tomahawks are led up front by Zach Aben, leading his team with 32 assists and 52 points. Will Lawrence leads Johnstown with 22 goals, including two in his last three games. In goal, Jacob Osbourne’s 27 wins this season leads the league. Battery mate Zack Ferris’s .926 save percentage is good for 5th overall in the league.
Hitting the midway point of their 8 game homestand, the Titans are led by Dominik Bartecko with 44 assists and 70 points, both marks ranking 5th overall in the league. Dominick Rivelli’s 27 goals leads New Jersey and is 6th overall. Zak Brice has dominated in the crease lately, winning 8 of his last 9 starts.
The action begins Friday night with a 7:30pm faceoff. The teams will meet for the final time in the regular season on Saturday, March 30th, with a 7:00pm start. Tickets can be purchased by following this link.