FPHL 
Game Preview: Hat Tricks at Binghamton Black Bears | March 14, 2025
LAST TIME OUT
Five unanswered goals, plus a four-goal third period lifted the Hat Tricks to a 5-2 win at Watertown on Thursday.
Jacob Ratcliffe scored the tying goal on a rebound at 3:55 of the third before Chase Harwell put Danbury ahead, 3-2, at 9:02. Each forward tallied a goal and an assist.
Gleb Bandurkin potted a goal in the slot 2:02 later for his team-high 27th goal of the season. Connor Woolley’s empty-netter with nine seconds left finished off Danbury’s barrage.
The Wolves scored their only goals within the first 2:20 of the contest. Trevor Lord cashed in on Gleb Bandurkin’s interference minor at 1:08 and Carter Thornton slipped home Watertown’s second goal 1:08 later.
Danbury’s penalty kill was called on only once (unsuccessful) and its power play finished 0-for-2.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
The Hat Tricks and the Black Bears battle for the eighth time this season. Danbury trails the season series, 5-2, and takes on Binghamton three more times in the regular season. Through their first seven matchups with the Black Bears, the Hat Tricks are 1-4-1-1.
The two sides last met on Dec. 28 as Danbury fell, 5-0, in its third home shutout loss of the season. Scott Ramaekers netted two goals and Binghamton scored twice in the first period, while Connor McAnanama made 28 saves to lead the Black Bears to their second shutout win against the Hat Tricks this season.
The prior meeting was a nailbiter through the final two periods in Binghamton on Nov. 27. Chase Harwell’s shorthanded goal in the second brought the Hat Tricks to within one but their two-goal comeback bid fell short. Binghamton’s Khaden Henry scored the game’s first two goals in the first period.
Danbury’s last win in the series was on Nov. 23 (7-4) in Danbury as it netted three unanswered goals in the second to break a 2-2 tie and never trailed. Aleksandr Gamzatov and Binghamton’s Donald Oliveri each had two goals and an assist.
Upon the end of their game on Friday, the Hat Tricks will again visit the Black Bears on March 28 and then host one more game the following day. The teams meet for the final time on April 11 when Danbury plays at Binghamton.
Danbury’s only other win in the series came at Binghamton (4-3SOW) on Nov. 2. Josh Labelle’s goal was the only one in the eighth and final round of the shootout. The Hat Tricks took a 2-1 lead into the third period but the Black Bears clawed back with goals from Ramaekers and Matt Christopher. The victory marked Danbury’s first of four shootout wins this season.
Harwell leads the Hat Tricks in the series with three goals and three assists. Cory Anderson also has three goals. Conor McCollum is 2-4-1 with a .916 save percentage.
For Binghamton, Tyson Kirkby paces the Black Bears with three goals and three assists and C.J. Stubbs holds a goal and six assists in five contests.
McAnanama is 3-0-1 with a .945 save percentage in the series. Nolan Egbert is 2-1 with a .922 save percentage.
ABOUT THE BLACK BEARS
Binghamton enters tonight’s matchup in first place in the Empire Division. It has clinched the top spot with 116 points (35-5-1-5) and stands 32 points ahead of Danbury. The Black Bears have won 19 of their last 20, their only loss at Blue Ridge (5-2L) on March 8 that broke a season and franchise-long 18-game win streak.
The Black Bears return to New York following their six-point weekend in Wytheville, Va., defeating the Bobcats in two games (7-3W, 4-1W) on March 7 and March 9. They last played on home ice in a two-game sweep over the Dashers (9-0W, 7-1W) on Feb. 28–March 1. Binghamton has swept five consecutive home series but has yet to get a rematch from last season’s Commissioner’s Cup Finals against the Carolina Thunderbirds this season. That changes on Saturday as the teams square off for the only time this season in Binghamton.
At the beginning of their mission to repeat as Cup champions, the Black Bears won 10 of their first 13 games to storm to the top of the division. From Dec. 7–Jan. 3, Binghamton won eight contests in a row before losing a barnburner at Port Huron (8-6L) on Jan. 4.
Binghamton is the FPHL’s best on the power play (25.5%) with a league-high 60 goals. Its penalty kill (86.2%) ranks third but is tied with Motor City for the fourth-most goals allowed with 30. The Black Bears, who are the most penalized team in the league (1998 penalty minutes), have scored the most shorthanded goals (14), nevertheless.
Tyson Kirkby leads the Black Bears, and the FPHL, in points (83) and goals (33). Kirkby has a team-high 50 assists, good for second in the league behind Watertown’s Trevor Grasby’s 53. Kirkby, Gavin Yates, Dakota Bohn, and head coach Brant Sherwood are appealing suspensions from altercations occurring last weekend in Wytheville. As a result, they are good to go for Friday.
Connor McAnanama is the league’s wins leader (26) with a 26-2-1 record and 2.09 GAA.
HAT TRICKS HEADLINES
The Hat Tricks completed their 13th come-from-behind win of the season at Watertown on Thursday and take on the Black Bears with a chance to push their win streak to three games. Danbury has tallied points in 19 of its last 20 contests and faces Binghamton for the first time in 2025 with wins in 18 of its last 24 (14-3-3-4).
Friday’s contest marks the middle game of a three-game road trip for Danbury, which concludes at McCann Ice Arena on Wednesday for a rescheduled game with HC Venom. Danbury has averaged 4.3 goals in its last seven wins, three of which came at Watertown, and looks to win its fourth road game in a row.
With 10 games left in the regular season, the Hat Tricks are 22-11-8-5 with 84 points as their push to clinch the two-seed in the Empire Division continues. Danbury holds an 11-point lead over Watertown for second place and a regulation win at Binghamton and a Wolves regulation loss to Carolina would increase its advantage to 14 points.
Danbury’s power play is fourth (24.5%) in the league and has 46 goals for the third-most, including goals in four of the last five games. The Hat Tricks are 10th in the FPHL on the penalty kill (77.8%) and have allowed the fourth-most goals (42) but stand at 60-for-66 in its last 14 games.
Danbury’s penalty kill has led the Hat Tricks to the FPHL’s second-most shorthanded goals (10) and is four behind Binghamton for the lead.
Gleb Bandurkin leads the Hat Tricks in points (51) and goals (27). Josh Labelle and Jacob Ratcliffe are tied for the team-high in assists with 31.
COMEBACK KIDS STRIKE AGAIN
The Hat Tricks rallied from a 2-0 deficit in the second period of Thursday’s 5-2 win at Watertown. Chase Harwell buried the game-winning goal for Danbury in the third as part of five unanswered goals, lifting Danbury to its 13th comeback victory this season in an effort that took 31:22. It was the first come-from-behind win for the Hat Tricks since their victory at Watertown (4-3SOW) on Feb. 23, when it trailed 3-1.
HEROIC HARWELL
Chase Harwell scored for the third straight game on Thursday, completing the Hat Tricks’ comeback win. It was the fourth game since the second-year center returned from the 15-day injured reserve as Harwell turned in a goal and an assist. Harwell has posted seven combined goals over his last seven outings and holds 19 goals and 23 assists in 31 appearances this season.
RATTY’S ROLLING
Jacob Ratcliffe had a goal and an assist on Thursday, marking his second multi-point outing in the last three games. The Canterbury, New Zealand, native holds 13 multi-point outputs this season, which included three straight from Oct. 19–Oct. 26. Ratcliffe has supplied 12 goals and 31 assists in his third season in Danbury.
BANDURKIN BRILLIANCE
Gleb Bandurkin scored in the third period on Thursday, stretching his point streak (2-4-6) to five games. The rookie center has two goals over his last four games and notched his 12th multi-point performance four games ago against HC Venom (4-0W) on March 7. Bandurkin leads Danbury in goals (27) and points (51) and has a team-high two hat tricks this season.
VETERANS GETTING IT DONE
Connor Woolley scored an empty-netter and co-head coach Kyle Gonzalez logged an assist on Thursday. It was Woolley’s third goal in the last four games and Gonzalez lengthened his point streak (2-5-7) to five contests. The two veterans have combined for nine points (4g, 5a) over the last four contests. Woolley has 13g, 18a in 36 games in his third Hat Tricks season and Gonzalez has 4g, 16a in his fourth campaign in Danbury.
NOT OUT OF THE WOODS YET
Despite standing 10 games from their fifth Commissioner’s Cup playoff appearance, the Hat Tricks battle the Empire Division champion Binghamton Black Bears four more times in the next month. Danbury is also tasked with winning its season series against Watertown, tied at five games, in its final meeting with the Wolves on April 12. In their final 10 contests of last year’s regular season, the Hat Tricks were 5-3-1-1.
ABOUT DANBURY HAT TRICKS:
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.
Off the ice, the Hat Tricks are committed to fostering connections within the local community through outreach programs with schools, businesses and charities. By developing top-tier hockey talent and growing the sport in the region, the Hat Tricks aim to bring the community together and deliver entertainment that leaves a lasting impact.
Danbury Hat Tricks single-game tickets and full/partial season membership plans are still available for purchase. If you are interested, email herm@danburyhattricks.com or go to Tixr.
To stay up to date on all things Danbury Hat Tricks hockey, go to danburyhattricks.com and follow the team on Facebook, Instagram, X, and TikTok (@DanburyHatTricks).