FPHL 
Game Preview: Hat Tricks Aim to Get Back to .500 in Watertown Friday
DANBURY — The Danbury Hat Tricks hit the road again for the second of four consecutive games away from the Danbury Ice Arena. The Hat Tricks travel to Watertown to do battle with the Wolves Friday night for the fourth time overall and third time at the Watertown Municipal Arena.
You can watch the game action LIVE through Watertown's YouTube page. *NOTE: The Hat Tricks are NOT traveling their broadcaster Friday or Saturday night. As a result, fans can watch the game on Watertown's feed. We apologize for the inconvenience.* If you can't tune in, follow the Hat Tricks on X/Twitter for live game updates.
The Hat Tricks are 1-2 against the Wolves this season losing twice on the road by identical 6-5 final scores. The Hat Tricks' lone win versus Watertown was in their home opener back on Oct. 14, a 5-2 final.
Game Recap: Hat Tricks 5, Watertown Wolves 6 in the Season Opener on the Road
Game Recap: Hat Tricks Win Home Opener 5-2, Split Weekend Series with Watertown
Game Recap: Hat Tricks on Losing End of Another Track Meet in Watertown
Last Saturday, forwards Bohdan Zinchenko (3g, 1a) and Jacob Ratcliffe (2g, 1a) combined for seven points in the Hat Tricks 6-5 victory over Elmira in their only game of the weekend. The Hat Tricks fell behind 3-1 early in the second period, but stormed back with three unanswered goals to pull ahead 4-3. After losing the lead in the third, regaining it and losing it again defenseman Kyle Gonzalez potted home the game-winning tally on the backhand at 11:14 of the third period. Gonzalez also collected 2 assists while Daniel McKitrick added three helpers of his own. Goalie Connor McCollum stopped 35 of the 40 shots he faced and had an assist on the Hat Tricks fourth score in the win.
Game Recap: Hat Tricks Prevail in Back-and-Forth Affair with Elmira Saturday Night
The Hat Tricks are 4-5-0 overall with eleven points and 1-3-0 on the road, good enough for third place in the Empire division. Despite missing last Saturday's contest against Elmira, captain Jonny Ruiz holds the team lead in points with nine while Daniel McKitrick, who is the team leader in assists with seven, and Nick DiNicola, the top goal scorer of the group (5), are one back with eight. McCollum, 26-years-old, has taken over the Hat Tricks net in 2023 posting the second best save percentage in the league at 92.7%. The recent Acadia University grad is 3-2 in seven appearances with a 2.86 goals against average.
Watertown is 2-4-0 (6 points) through six games this season and hasn't played since two Fridays ago (Nov. 3) against the Hat Tricks. The Wolves are led by forward Tate Leeson and defenseman Trevor Lord who have combined for 26 of Watertown's 56 points this season. Leeson paces the squad in points, goals, and assists (8-8-16) while Lord is second in those categories (5-5-10). Amongst the league, Leeson ranks third in points, second in goals, and is tied with Lord for the most power play goals (4).
SPECIAL TEAMS:
Hat Tricks: PP: 9.5% [10th], PK: 78.9% [6th]
Watertown: PP: 31.3% [1st], PK: 70.4% [9th]
Some other important notes:
- The Hat Tricks have three power play goals this season. Winger Sam Dabrowski, who was loaned to Pensacola in the SPHL, has two of them and is no longer with the team. Forward Evan Lugo has the only other power play tally which came all the way back in the season opener against Watertown (Oct. 13).
- Daniel Amesbury is set to miss his second consecutive game due to suspension following an aggressor incident that occurred in a game against Binghamton on Nov. 4. This is the second time Amesbury has been suspended this season. He leads the team in penalty minutes with 48.
- The Hat Tricks are in the midst of a four-game road trip which started last Saturday in Elmira. After Friday night's matchup with Watertown, the Hat Tricks head to Elmira to battle the River Sharks on Saturday Nov. 18 and then visit Binghamton the Wednesday before Thanksgiving (Nov. 22) to square-off with the Black Bears.
The Hat Tricks' cup defense is underway and we want you to be a part of it! Season and single-game tickets are available for purchase. Full and partial season packages can save fans up to 30% and include benefits such as FREE parking and season passes to the Danbury NAHL/NA3HL Hat Tricks games. Call Herm Sorcher at (973) 713-7547 to secure yours today or press here to learn more. To buy single-game tickets press here.
To stay up to date on all things Danbury Hat Tricks hockey, go to www.danburyhattricks.com and follow the team on social media.