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JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – Adam Houli will stand on the home bench in his first New Year’s Eve game at 1st Summit Arena @ Cambria County War Memorial Wednesday.
But the first-year Johnstown Tomahawks coach knows about a tradition with roots extending to the former Johnstown Chiefs ECHL franchise.
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Johnstown’s hockey teams have enjoyed success on the ice in the New Year’s Eve game, both at the professional and junior levels. The hometown fans make the annual contest an event on and off the ice.
So, when the Tomahawks play the Northeast Generals at 6 p.m. on New Year’s Eve – the two teams’ second meeting on back-to-back nights at the War Memorial – Houli and his players will appreciate the moment.
“I’m super-excited to see this city get excited over the game and the tradition that has formed around this game,” Houli said.
NAHL East Division fifth-place Northeast (16-12-4, 36 points) will visit sixth-place Johnstown (15-11-5, 35 points) Tuesday at 7 p.m., followed by the New Year’s Eve contest Wednesday at 1st Summit Arena.
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The Tomahawks are 10-2-1 on New Year’s Eve at the War Memorial, dating to the 2012-13 season.
In 2024, Northeast edged the Tomahawks 5-4 in front of 3,050 fans – a rare setback for the home team in the holiday game.
The Tomahawks had won six consecutive New Year’s Eve games prior to the 2024 loss.
“Just playing a part in a tradition is really exciting,” Houli said. “To represent the hockey team to those people of Johnstown and make it a night that is talked about is special.
“I’m excited to feel the atmosphere, feel the energy and continue to build on the tradition.”
The game has attracted 3,000-plus fans nine times, including four sellouts (2012, 2013, 2015 and 2016).
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But on New Year’s Eve 2020, no fans were permitted in the arena due to statewide restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic.
After three straight seasons (2020-22) with fewer than 3,000 fans at the holiday game, the Tomahawks rebounded with a crowd of 3,291 in 2023, followed by 2024’s attendance just over 3,000.
Houli had been familiar with Johnstown’s New Year’s Eve game because his stepson, Jake LaRusso, played in the game for Northeast during the 2022-23 season.
“It was one of the few games I couldn’t get to when he played here when he was with Northeast,” Houli said. “Even he talks to me about it and says that game is really exciting.”
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LaRusso played 52 games for the Generals, posting 29 goals and 56 points, but was held scoreless on New Year’s Eve in Johnstown. The Tomahawks won 3-2 in an 11-round shootout Dec. 31, 2022.
“He’ll be here in attendance at this one,” Houli said of LaRusso, who played the past two seasons at Stonehill College before joining the Chatham University program in Pittsburgh. “It will be exciting for him to watch it from the stands.
“He talks about the game all the time. It’s one of his favorite games as a memory as a junior hockey player.”
The Tomahawks built on a strong foundation.
In 22 ECHL seasons, the professional Johnstown Chiefs went 13-4-3 in New Year’s Eve contests at the War Memorial, with 11 sellouts in 20 games.
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The Chiefs were nearly unbeatable in regulation during the holiday event until losing three consecutive New Year’s Eve games in their final three seasons.
During the first six New Year’s Eve games from 1989 to 1994, the Chiefs faced their state rival Erie Panthers and went 4-0-2 in front of six sellout crowds of more than 4,000 fans. No game was played in 1995.
After that, Chiefs’ New Year’s Eve opponents included the Peoria Rivermen (1996, 1997), Chesapeake Icebreakers (1998), Wheeling Nailers (1999), Trenton Titans (2000, 2008), Dayton Bombers (2001, 2003), Richmond Renegades (2002), Toledo Storm (2004, 2006), Columbia Inferno (2005) and Elmira Jackals (2007, 2009).
Mike Mastovich is a sports reporter and columnist for The Tribune-Democrat. He can be reached at 814-532-5083. Follow him on Twitter @Masty81.
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