The first matchup in the rivalry was a 7-6 shootout back on Nov. 4 in overtime.

Fast forward to Tuesday night where both teams were experiencing dejaàvu as they added another high-scoring game to the history book.

Much like their prior contest, it was the Golden Tigers coming up with the game-winner — this time on a Chase Link wrist shot with under 30 seconds in regulation — as they hung on for a 6-5 win over the Mountain Lions at Galactic Ice.

“(Link) came up big for us,” Hollidaysburg coach Joe Duey said. “We needed everyone on the ice to step up. Today it was him. We needed those goals. He put us in that position (to win).”

Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski Hollidaysburg's Jayden Mentzer is driven into the net by Altoona's Connor Stivers in front of goaltender Seth Conrad.

The freshman forward had two goals and one assist.

Following Cole Hartman’s goal half way through the first period, the Tigers got themselves in trouble as they ended up on the wrong side of a 5-on-3.

Altoona cashed in as Carter Panick, in the closing seconds of the first period, buried a feed from Conner Stivers to tie the game at 1.

In the closing seconds of the period, Owen Piper made the Tigers pay again as he scored with under a minute to go to take a 3-1 lead into the first intermission.

“We just shot ourselves in the foot,” Duey said. “Penalties, just being stupid on the ice. When we did play, we proved we could play. We take ourselves out of the game when we don’t play our game.”

Altoona (2-4) converted on two out of its four power-play opportunities.

Both teams traded goals in the second period as Ben Shoeman, off a turnover, cut into the deficit, but that was wiped out by a Stivers’ marker for the Lions.

Late in the second period, the Golden Tigers started flipping the momentum on the man-advantage. Ty Fitzgerald took a pass from Hartman to keep the team within one goal at 4-3 at the second break.

“I thought it was a pretty even game the whole way,” Altoona coach Don Burgmeier said. “We made more mistakes then they did and they capitalized one more time than we did. The two teams are really even.”

Fitzgerald struck again with about seven minutes to play as he tied the game for the Tigers. However, Noah Staines answered for the Lions just under a minute later from the right faceoff dot.

Hollidaysburg took control for good with about three minutes to go as Link put away the first of his two scores.

“(The game-winner) I thought wasn’t as bad as (the game-tying goal),” Burgmeier said. That was just a bad mistake by us. We didn’t get out and cover the point on that play. That puck should’ve been out of the zone.”

Duey is proud of how his club has answered the call in these rivalry games. The Golden Tigers (4-2) have now won for the third time this season by one goal.

“We need these rivalry games,” he said. “We need to pump these guys up and this definitely helps us out for the rest of the season.”

Both teams now await trips to Johnstown to play the Trojans next. The Golden Tigers will make the trip Thursday night while the Mountain Lions visit on Dec. 11.

SCORE BY PERIOD

Altoona 3 1 1 – 5

Hollidaysburg 1 2 3 – 6

First Period: 1,) H – Hartman (Link), 8:18; 2,) A – Panick (Stivers), 10:16; 3,) A – Mirobelli (Piper, Staines), 12:33 PP; 4,) A – Piper (Della, Panick), 16:13.

Second Period: 5,) H – Shoeman (unassisted), 5:54; 6,) A – Stivers (Staines), 11:01; 7,) H–Fitzgerald (Hartman), 14:19 PP.

Third Period: 8,) H – Fitzgerald (Mentzer), 9:33; 9,) A – Stroup (Piper), 10:29; 10,) H – Link (unassisted), 13:59; 11,) Link (Hartman), 16:36.

Power play: Altoona 2-for-4; Hollidaysburg 1-for-2

Goalies: Conrad, A, 28-34; Breton, H, 20-25

Records: Altoona (2-4), Hollidaysburg (4-2)