Jamestown Rebels forward Ryan Waltman celebrates with teammates after scoring the game-winning goal in overtime of Game 5 of their NAHL East Division semifinal series against the Johnstown Tomahawks on Sunday night at 1st Summit Arena @ Cambria County War Memorial in Johnstown. Photo courtesy of Phil Andraychak

JOHNSTOWN, Pa. — Ryan Waltman was the Jamestown Rebels’ most productive forward throughout their North American Hockey League East Division semifinal series against the Johnstown Tomahawks.

He punctuated it Sunday evening.

In a big way.

Waltman scored 1:59 into overtime as Jamestown beat Johnstown 4-3 to clinch the best-of-five series 3-2 at 1st Summit Arena @ Cambria County War Memorial.

Next up for the Rebels will be the East Division finals, another best-of-five series against the top-seeded New Jersey Titans, who rallied past the fourth-seeded Northeast Generals and scored with less than 1 second remaining for a 5-4 victory Sunday night to clinch their series 3-2 at Middletown Ice World Arena.

Jamestown Rebels forward Ryan Waltman celebrates with teammates after scoring the game-winning goal in overtime of Game 5 of their NAHL East Division semifinal series against the Johnstown Tomahawks on Sunday night at 1st Summit Arena @ Cambria County War Memorial in Johnstown. Photo courtesy of Phil Andraychak

Jamestown had leads of 2-0 and 3-1 early in Sunday’s series-deciding tilt, only to see Johnstown rally to tie the game at 3-3 with 2:34 left in the second period.

“We did it the hard way,” Rebels head coach Joe Coombs said. “Being up 2-0 and then taking six straight penalties wasn’t ideal. We had the game in control. We had them deflated.”

After the game went to overtime for the third time in the series, Waltman played hero.

Jamestown’s Jak Vaarwerk poked the puck around Tomahawks defenseman Ethan Perrault at the Rebels’ blue line to start a 2-on-1 break the other way with teammate Kolby Amici.

“That’s a textbook play. That’s something we work on in September,” Coombs said of Amici’s drive to the net. “It’s really nice to see them execute a play like that at the most opportune time. That’s what the process is; it’s executing the right things at the right time.”

When the Johnstown defenseman followed Amici, Vaarwerk found Waltman open in the high slot and the South Bend, Indiana native beat Tomahawks goaltender Matthew O’Donnell with a wrist shot for his third goal and eighth point of the series.

“I think he’s been outstanding,” Coombs said of Waltman. “I think him and Jak are playing hockey the right way right now. They are good at both ends of the rink.”

Nolan Suggs made 26 saves on 29 shots at the other end of the ice to earn the victory in net for Jamestown.

The Rebels jumped on top 49 seconds into the game when Joshua Burke’s rising shot hit O’Donnell in the shoulder and laid in the crease before Jamestown captain John Lundy poked home his second goal of the series for a 1-0 lead.

“As long as I’ve been in this league, their players do a heck of a job of blocking shots,” Coombs said. “You have to find a way to get pucks through. We didn’t do that in Games 1 and 2, but we’ve started to shoot pucks quicker off the pass and did a better job.”

With 10:50 left in the opening period, Rebels defenseman Nathan Jurrens put a shot on net that was poked at by Vaarwerk before a rebound was put home by Amici for a 2-0 lead.

“I think he really struggled,” Coombs said of O’Donnell. “The minute we made it 2-0 I said ‘guys, we have to get pucks to the net.'”

But the Rebels’ fourth penalty of the first period caught up to them with 1:56 remaining when Johnstown’s Tyler DesRochers sent a dangerous puck toward the Jamestown net. Stephen Kyrkostas deflected the puck toward Suggs and then the rebound was punched home by Holt Oliphant to make it 2-1.

Jamestown regained its two-goal lead just over a minute into the second period when O’Donnell mishandled the puck to Burke, who banked in a goal from the corner to make it 3-1.

“I thought tonight we had to battle the referees,” Coombs said, “and they had to battle their goaltender.”

Just over two minutes later, Kyrkostas carried the puck toward the Rebels goal and when Suggs stopped the initial shot, Egan Schmitt was waiting for the rebound to make it a 3-2 game.

With 2:34 left in the middle period, Zachary Aben set up Ryan Vellucci for a one-timer in the slot and another rebound was put home by David Matousek to make it 3-3.

“We can’t keep using the same guys. Once we stopped taking penalties, it was important that we kept changing properly,” Coombs said. “We were both playing three lines. When you are playing with that short of a bench, you have to change when you can.”

But being no strangers to overtime, the Rebels came through in the extra session to set up a series with the Titans, beginning in Middletown.