GAME PREVIEW: HAT TRICKS VS BLUE RIDGE BOBCATS: MAR. 7TH
LAST TIME OUT
Last night, the Danbury Hat Tricks defeated the Blue Ridge Bobcats 2-1 on home ice to climb
within 8 points of a playoff spot with eleven games remaining in the season.
In the first period, Eli Rivers scored a powerplay goal at 5:18 to give the Hat Tricks an early 1-0
lead. Blue Ridge outshot Danbury 19-10 in the first frame, with Kyle Penton making some
brilliant saves to keep the Hat Tricks up by one goal heading into the 1st intermission.
At 12:39 in the second period, Anton Rubtsov forced an offensive-zone turnover and beat
Bobcats goaltender Anthony Shrum on a wrap-around to double Danbury’s lead.
The Hat Tricks looked in control deep into the third period. But with three minutes left, Blue
Ridge drew a tripping penalty on Josh Newberg and converted off the powerplay as Nicholas
Stuckless made it 2-1 with 2:45 remaining.
Despite pulling their goalie and hitting the post late, the Bobcats fell short. With the win,
Danbury now trails Blue Ridge by 8 points with a chance to narrow it to 5 points with a Saturday
night win.
KYLE PENTON REMAINS SPECTACULAR DOWN THE STRETCH
Alongside offensive outputs from Rivers and Rubtsov, Kyle Penton was the true hero Friday
night. The rookie netminder saved 41 of 42 shots faced, standing on his head as the Hat Tricks
were outshot by double digits. On the Bobcats first two powerplays, and especially in the final
chaotic minutes with the extra skater on for the visitors, Penton was fantastic. He commanded
the blue paint and made consecutive saves in a row numerous times in the final minutes. Even
with Sebastian Resar’s return to the team, it would be hard to find a hotter goaltender than Kyle
Penton in the last month.
NEW FACES CONTINUE TO CONTRIBUTE
The Hat Tricks front office has made a slew of late-season moves in recent weeks. Last night,
some of those new faces made significant impacts for their new team.
Konstantin Chernyuk, who was acquired on February 24th, has looked as advertised and has
revitalized the team’s powerplay on the blue line. Chance Adrian slotted in as the 2nd line center
and battled admirably all night. Milan Breczko provided similar energy as the 10th skater, while
rookie Mitchell Berens manned the 3rd defensive pair in his debut with Kadyn Fennell.Arguably the most impressive performance came from Dmitry Kuznetsov, the team’s newest
addition. Acquired Friday morning from Watertown, Kuznetsov made it down to the Hat City in
time to dress and start for the Hat Tricks. Playing on the first line with Rubtsov and Fronduto, the
Russian forward clicked immediately and notched an assist on the second goal.
ABOUT THE BOBCATS
With last night’s loss, the Bobcats (19-20-3-3) sit in 4th place, still on 66 points. Their 13-point
lead over Danbury just a few weeks ago is now 8, losing their fourth straight game. Friday’s loss
also put them behind in the season series with Danbury, now 2-3 in their five games so far.
It was a frustrating game for the Bobcats, outshooting their opponents by 12 shots and coming
desperately close numerous times on the powerplay. Despite their best efforts, Kyle Penton did
just enough to deny Blue Ridge of a huge road win. Instead, they’ll hope to split the weekend
and prevent Danbury from narrowing the gap to 5 points.
HAT TRICKS HEADLINES
THE POWERPLAY DELIVERS IN A MASSIVE SPOT
The Hat Tricks’ powerplay has struggled a lot this season, ranking 13th out of 14 FPHL teams
with a 13.1% conversion rate on the man advantage. However, the powerplay came up big early
in the 1st as Eli Rivers scored only 26 seconds into their first chance on the 5-on-4.
The team has experimented quite a bit, employing a five-forward lineup for a long stretch. But
with the addition of a puck-handling defenseman in Konstantin Chernyuk, the group looked both
comfortable and potent against the Bobcats’ penalty kill. The Danbury coaching staff will hope
for a similar output tonight in game two of this weekend series
The Danbury Hat Tricks continue their sixth season in the Federal Prospects Hockey League on Saturday, March 7 (7:30 p.m.) at the Danbury Ice Arena, to take on the Blue Ridge Bobcats. 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.