GAME PREVIEW: DANBURY HAT TRICKS HOST BINGHAMTON BLACK BEARS: FEB. 27TH

Last time out

The Danbury Hat Tricks are coming off a pair of convincing wins on the road against the Indiana Sentinels, winning last Saturday’s contest 6-2. On Friday night, the Hat Tricks stormed back from a 1-2 deficit entering the third period with four unanswered goals to cap off a 5-2 win.

As for Saturday night, the game was never really in doubt from the start as Danbury entered the first intermission up 3-1. John Bierchen’s group would go on to score three more goals, including two from Anton Rubtsov, before a late Indiana goal from Jakub Volf made it 6-2 final. Along with Rubtsov’s efforts, rookie center Genaro Fronduto had a four-point night, earning him the 1st star of the game.

Kyle Penton capped off an all-around performance with another impressive outing in goal. The Massachusetts native made 49 saves out of 51 shots faced, earning him the 2nd star of the game.

THREE-GAME WIN STREAK BEFORE A BIG CHALLENGE

The Hat Tricks have now won their last three games, taking 10 points from a possible 12 in their four-game set with the Sentinels (Danbury earned 1 point in the 2-3 shootout loss on 2/13).

The gap between the Hat Tricks (53 pts) and the 4th place Topeka Scarecrows (65 pts) is still 12 points. But Danbury has found their groove after a five-game losing streak and have a fighting chance to claw back into playoff position.

The Binghamton Black Bears, who Danbury hasn’t faced since December 20th, represent the toughest test the Hat Tricks will face all season on their schedule. John Bierchen’s team is 0-9 outright against the division leaders, with December 12th’s 2-3 shootout loss at the DIA representing the closest Danbury has come to beating the defending champs. With 6 more games vs Binghamton left after Friday night (out of 14 remaining games), the Hat Tricks cannot resort to finding wins solely from non-Binghamton games if they want to keep their playoff hopes alive.

DANBURY’S DEFENSE LOOKING ROCK-SOLID

One of the main takeaways from the Hat Tricks’ recent success must be their performance as a defensive unit. During the four-game stretch vs the Sentinels, Danbury only allowed 1.75 goals per game, significantly down from their season average of 3.76 goals allowed per contest.

The Hat Tricks’ defense, anchored by goaltender Kyle Penton, has shown the ability to win in multiple ways. They’re able to limit shots on net and keep scoring chances down, as shown in the first two wins vs Indiana. But they can also withstand nights where the opponent puts 50 plus shots on target. Kyle Penton has established himself as the de-facto starting goaltender down the stretch, and 49-save performances like last Saturday prove that he can carry the team on nights when they’re outshot by the other team.

HEAD-TO-HEAD

Friday will be the 10th meeting between the Hat Tricks and the Black Bears. Binghamton leads the season series 9-0 outright (8-0-0-1).

The last time Danbury and Binghamton faced off at the Danbury Ice Arena was back on December 12th. That night, the Hat Tricks jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the first period with goals from Noah Robinson and Austan Bellefeuille. Binghampton’s Tyson Kirkby scored late in the 1st and again at 16:28 in the 3rd period to tie things up late in regulation.

Despite being outshot 58-19, the Hat Tricks eventually took the game to a shootout where Binghamton’s C.J. Stubbs would score the lone shootout goal, earning the Black Bears 2 points in a 3-2 shootout win.

ABOUT THE BLACK BEARS

The Binghamton Black Bears sit comfortably in 1st place in the Empire Division, 34 points ahead of Port Huron in 2nd place. The two-time defending Commissioner’s Cup champs are the only team in the FPHL who has already clinched a playoff spot.

Binghamton is 7-2-1 in their last ten games and enters on a 6-game winning streak. Their last loss came on January 31st when they lost 5-7 to the Twin City Thunderbirds. In addition to an 8-0-0-1 record vs the Hat Tricks this season, the Black Bears are undefeated in their three games in Danbury (2-0-0-1).

Forwards C.J. Stubbs (30 G, 46 A) and Ivan Bondarenko (14 G, 62 A) lead the team in points with 76 each. Bondarenko leads the FPHL in assists with 62, twelve more than any other skater. Additionally, rookie goaltender Dominik Tmej boasts a league best 2.17 GAA among qualifying netminders.

The last time the Hat Tricks beat the Black Bears was on November 23rd, 2024, when Danbury beat Binghamton 7-4 at the Danbury Ice Arena.

HAT TRICKS HEADLINES

THE PLAYOFF PUSH BEGINS WITH NEW ADDITIONS

The Hat Tricks are currently in 5th place in the Empire Division, 12 points behind the Topeka Scarecrows in 4th place who hold the final playoff spot in the division. Of Danbury’s remaining games, 10 of the 14 are against teams above them in the division standings, including 7 against 1st place Binghamton.

Ahead of the league’s trade deadline, and to help with the team’s playoff push, the front office made three notable moves since Danbury’s last home game.

On February 17th, Danbury acquired forward Milan Breczko (3 G, 10 A) from Blue Ridge for future considerations. One day later, the team traded forward Noah Robinson to the Pee Dee Ice Cats for forward Chance Adrian (5 G, 11 A) and financial considerations. And on February 24th, the team dealt goaltender Ricardo Gonzalez to Watertown for defenseman Konstantin Chernyuk (4 G, 22 A).

The Hat Tricks will hope that these players make an instant impact and help the Hat Tricks start clawing back into the playoff conversation in the coming weeks.

The Danbury Hat Tricks continue their sixth season in the Federal Prospects Hockey League on Friday, Feb. 27 (7:30 p.m.) at the Danbury Ice Arena, to take on the Binghamton Black Bears. Single-game tickets and partial season ticket packages are on sale and can be purchased in person at the Hat Tricks office located inside the Danbury Ice Arena at 1 Independence Way in Danbury, by calling (973-713-7547) or emailing (herm@danburyhattricks.com) the office, or online through Tixr. For the latest Hat Tricks news, visit www.danburyhattricks.com, follow the team on Facebook (www.facebook.com/danburyhattricks), Instagram (@danburyhattricks), X (@DanburyHatTrick), TikTok (@danburyhattricks), and YouTube (@DanburyHatTricks), and subscribe to the Hat Tricks' newsletter.

The Danbury Hat Tricks are a professional hockey team based in Danbury, CT, and compete in the Federal Prospects Hockey League (FPHL). Since their founding in 2019, the 2023 Commissioner's Cup Champions have brought thrilling, fast-paced, and hard-hitting hockey to the Danbury Ice Arena, earning a reputation for their competitive spirit, electric atmosphere, and strong community ties. The team is dedicated to providing an unforgettable game-day experience for fans of all ages while proudly representing the city of Danbury.