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Rebels Win 4-1 To Force Game 5

By Matt Spielman 5 min read

For the past two weeks, Jamestown Rebels head coach Joe Coombs has felt like his team’s best-of-five North American Hockey League East Division semifinal series with the Johnstown Tomahawks would go the distance.

Now it is.

Jak Vaarwerk scored twice and goaltender Nolan Suggs made 36 saves as the third-seeded Rebels beat the second-seeded Tomahawks 4-1 on Saturday night at Northwest Arena.

Tied 2-2, the series now shifts to 1st Summit Arena @ Cambria County War Memorial for a decisive Game 5 at 6 p.m. today.

“They have a little more pressure coming off a loss and playing on home ice,” Rebels captain John Lundy said postgame. “We know as a team that if we play the type of game we played tonight and are capable of playing … we’ll be great. We’re focusing on ourselves and trying to give the same, if not a better effort, than we did tonight.”

Jamestown took control of Saturday’s game with a dominant second period during which the Rebels outshot Johnstown 14-5 and built a two-goal lead.

“I thought our second period was the best period we’ve played in five games by far,” Jamestown head coach Joe Coombs said. “If they want to play like we did in the second period, I think we’ll beat anybody in this division.”

The Rebels had a chance to make it 3-1 early in the period when Kolby Amici and Lundy turned a two-on-one break into a pair of opportunities. First, Amici’s low shot was kicked out by the right pad of Tomahawks goaltender Matthew O’Donnell. Lundy then secured the rebound, but his wrist shot was gloved for another of O’Donnell’s 22 saves.

A few minutes later, O’Donnell wasn’t as sharp. With 15:15 left, Jamestown defenseman Noah Szretter shot a wrist shot from the right point that eluded the glove of O’Donnell for his first goal of the postseason to make it 3-1.

“If you play four lines in the playoffs and you can find a way to get through the first couple of games up 2-1 or tied 1-1,” Coombs said, “you’ll do some damage.”

The Tomahawks turned their intensity up a notch in the third period, sending 16 shots the way of Suggs, but the White Lake, Michigan native stopped every one to secure a three-hour bus ride to Johnstown this afternoon.

“He’s been without a doubt our best player coming down the stretch and into the playoffs,” Lundy said of Suggs. “If he can see the shot and we don’t let them get second or third chances, he’s most likely going to stop them.”

The Rebels put the game away with 11:57 remaining as Reid Lune found Vaarwerk streaking down the middle of the ice in the Johnstown defensive zone. Vaarwerk was tied up on his first shot attempt, but stuck with the play and slid a puck between the legs of O’Donnell that barely trickled over the goal line for his fourth goal of the series.

“He has all the tools to be the best player in this league. He’s been showing them off the whole series and has been great the whole series,” Lundys said of Vaarwerk. “When he plays with confidence, he’s the best player on the ice.”

Jamestown took a 1-0 lead early in the first period. Lundy intercepted a pass near the Tomahawks’ blue line and skated toward the left faceoff dot. When he couldn’t find an open teammate to pass to, the Rebels captain took a bad-angle wrist shot that beat O’Donnell over his glove inside the far post just 3:47 into the game.

“It was definitely a relief,” said Lundy, whose first goal of the series came after setting a franchise record during the regular season. “I’ve been focusing on the defensive side of my game and felt like that had been strong the whole series. I felt like if I kept plugging away, my linemates would help me out.”

Johnstown tied the game just over nine minutes later on the power play. After the Rebels did a good job of blocking shots against the Tomahawks’ first power-play unit, the second unit set up defenseman Frank Jenkins for a one-time slap shot that beat Suggs to make it 1-1.

Nearly five minutes later, Jamestown took the lead for good when Vaarwerk forced a turnover at the blue line and Ryan Waltman picked up the loose puck. The South Bend, Indiana native then fed the puck back to Vaarwerk who beat O’Donnell clean with a wrist shot to make it 2-1.

“(Friday) I told our wingers they have to stay back at the depth of their outlets because their forwards are too far gone,” Coombs said. “We did a better job of that. (Sunday) we’re going to have to lock that down.”

The Rebels never relinquished that lead and were rewarded with a chance to win the series today.

“I’d like to think we’re feeling better than they do. They have a four-hour bus ride (Saturday night). Our guys should have two hours of sleep by the time they get home,” Coombs said. “I think a Game 5 is like a Game 7. Whoever plays better is going to win.”

NOTES: The fourth-seeded Northeast Generals beat the top-seeded New Jersey Titans 4-2 in Game 4 of their series Saturday in Attleboro, Massachusetts to set up a Game 5 today in Middletown, New Jersey. The winners of the two series will meet for a best-of-five division finals starting next week.

Starting at /week.