GAME PREVIEW: BINGHAMTON BLACK BEARS HOST DANBURY HAT TRICKS

LAST TIME OUT

The Danbury Hat Tricks (18-23-5-4) are coming off a two-game sweep of the Watertown Wolves last weekend. After a dominant 5-1 win on Friday night in Watertown, the Hat Tricks rolled to a 3-1 victory on neutral ice at Mennen Arena in Morris Township, New Jersey.

Watertown struck first halfway through the first period on the powerplay when Marquis Grant-Mentis fired a wrist shot past Kyle Penton from the right circle at 8:16. Genaro Fronduto’s rebound goal on the powerplay tied it up for Danbury minutes later.

Grady Friedman finished the first period with an incredible goal for Danbury, deking around two opponents before slotting it past Marshall McKallip at 17:49. It was the rookie’s third goal in three games for the Hat Tricks. Eli Rivers added another goal at 13:16 on the powerplay in the second period, enough to secure the win and a weekend sweep over Watertown.

PENTON PROVES SPECTACULAR YET AGAIN

Last weekend was arguably the Hat Tricks’ best defensive performance of the season. Allowing only one goal in each game, it marked the fewest goals allowed in any weekend series this season. No surprise, Kyle Penton was at the centerpiece of both defensive masterclasses.

Across both games, Penton stopped 56 of 58 shots, helping him climb to 5th in the FPHL in save percentage (.918). Despite seeing a high volume of shots most nights (5th among goalies in shots against), the rookie netminder has been rock-solid since assuming the starting role in early January.

PLAYOFF HOPES STAY ALIVE WITH SIX TO GO

With their two wins over Watertown, Danbury kept pace in the race for 4th in the empire division. With 67 points and six games to go, the Hat Tricks trail Topeka (4th) by 9 points. The Scarecrows still have a game in hand, having only played 49 games.

Entering Friday, the “magic number” for Topeka is 10 points (i.e. the amount of points needed to clinch a playoff spot). If Danbury loses to Binghamton and Topeka defeats Indiana, the magic number would drop to only 3 points. Safe to say, the margin for error is razor thin.

HEAD-TO-HEAD

Friday will be the 13th game between the Hat Tricks and Black Bears this season. Danbury is 1-12 vs the division leaders, their lone win coming on February 28th in a 4-3 shootout win.

That Hat Tricks shootout win was the last time the two teams have played in Binghamton. Before that win, the closest Danbury had come to winning at Visions Veteran Memorial Arena was a 2-4 loss on December 19th.

Last time the two teams met, the division leaders shutout the Hat Tricks 5-0 in Danbury on March 14th. After a late first period goal from Ivan Bondarenko, Binghamton scored three more in the second to secure a 4-0 lead entering the final period. Mac Jansen’s powerplay goal in the third solidified Binghamton’s win, their third shutout vs Danbury this season.

ABOUT THE BLACK BEARS

The Binghamton Black Bears enter Friday’s game at 40-5-2-3 and with a comfortable lead in the division standings. With 128 points, they now hold a 34-point lead over 2nd place Port Huron.

With home-ice advantage secured for the first two rounds (and likely for the Commissioner's Cup Finals soon), the Black Bears are on pace for a franchise-record 146 points. Their previous season-best came last season (143 points) when the team won their second-straight Commissioner’s Cup Trophy.

Binghamton, having clinched the #1 seed in the empire, will face the #4 seed in the first round of the playoffs in a best-of-three series. 

HAT TRICKS HEADLINES

RUBTSOV RETURNS FOR BINGHAMTON SERIES

In their two wins over Watertown, the Hat Tricks were playing without one of their top forwards and point producers in Anton Rubtsov.

Last week, Danbury loaned Rubtsov to the Worcester Railers of the ECHL. He appeared in two games for the Railers over the weekend, wearing #23 and recording one shot on goal. But this Thursday, the team announced that Rubtsov had been returned to Danbury after his brief stint in Worcester. It marked the first ECHL appearance for a Hat Tricks player this season.

The Hat Tricks will be delighted to have Rubtsov back for a pivotal series as we push closer to the end of the FPHL season.