Game Preview: Hat Tricks vs. Binghamton Black Bears | Oct. 18
LAST TIME OUT
The Danbury Hat Tricks dropped their third straight and first road game of the season, falling 6-3 to defending Commissioner’s Cup champion Binghamton Black Bears Friday night, marking Danbury’s first 0-3 start since the 2019–20 season. Despite the loss, goaltender Connor Penton stopped 44 of 49 shots in his second professional start.
Binghamton jumped out to an early 2-0 lead on goals from Cameron Clark and Ivan Bondarenko before rookie Jordon Kromm scored his first professional goal at 19:36 of the first, banking a shot off the post and the goaltender in his Hat Tricks debut. Bondarenko added his second of the night early in the second to make it 3-1, but captain Jonny Ruiz answered on the power play to cut the deficit to one. Austin Thompson’s late-period tally gave the Black Bears a 4-2 lead after two.
Austan Bellefeuille brought Danbury within one midway through the third, recording his first goal in black and orange and the team’s first even-strength marker of the season. The tally also carried family history—his uncle, Blake Bellefeuille, scored the inaugural goal for the Danbury Trashers during the 2004–05 season. However, Binghamton sealed the win in the final minutes with an empty-netter from Gavin Yates and a late goal from Scott Ramaekers.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
The Hat Tricks fell in the first meeting of 16 this season versus the Black Bears, 6-3, Friday night, and the first of eight on the road.
Last season, Danbury went 1-8-1-1 against Binghamton, dropping the final five games and being outscored 45–26 across 11 meetings, though five were decided by one goal.
The Hat Tricks’ lone win came on Nov. 23, a 7-4 home victory sparked by three straight second-period goals and two-goal performances from Aleksandr Gamzatov. Earlier that month, Danbury edged the Black Bears 4-3 in a shootout on the road, with Josh Labelle scoring the deciding goal in the eighth round after Chase Harwell scored twice in regulation.
Binghamton took control of the season series down the stretch, winning seven of the final eight matchups, including a late-March weekend sweep (6-3, 5-2) and a 6-2 win in the season series finale on April 11.
Special teams were a factor throughout: Danbury allowed six power-play goals but scored four and added five short-handed tallies to Binghamton’s one.
Last season, Danbury went 1-8-1-1 against Binghamton, dropping the last five games. Across 11 matchups, Danbury was outscored 45–26, though five games were decided by one goal.
The Hat Tricks dropped the final matchup of the season on April 11, 6-2, on the road despite scoring the game’s first goal. After taking an early lead, Danbury surrendered three straight goals and six of the next seven—including a short-handed tally—to end the season series on a losing note. The previous matchup came on March 29 at the Danbury Ice Arena, when the Hat Tricks fell 5-2 on Alumni Night. Danbury trailed 3-0 after the first period, and although Connor Woolley scored on the power play and Aleksandr Vasilyev cut the deficit to 4-2 early in the third, the comeback fell short as Binghamton completed the weekend sweep (6-3 L, 5-2 L). One bright spot was the Hat Tricks’ penalty kill, which went a perfect 9-for-9 across the two-game set.
Special teams were a mixed bag for Danbury throughout the series. The Hat Tricks allowed six power-play goals and scored four of their own. On the penalty kill, Danbury struck for five short-handed goals while Binghamton posted one.
Danbury’s most decisive win over Binghamton came on Nov. 23, a 7-4 victory at home in which the Hat Tricks netted three straight goals in the second period to break a 2-2 tie and never trailed again. Aleksandr Gamzatov and Binghamton’s Donald Olivieri each finished with two goals and an assist. Earlier that month, on Nov. 2, the Hat Tricks earned a 4-3 shootout win on the road—their first of four shootout victories that season. Josh Labelle scored the lone goal in the eighth round of the shootout after Chase Harwell tallied twice in regulation to help Danbury build a 3-1 lead before the Black Bears rallied late.
In the season series, Harwell led Danbury with six goals and nine points. Gleb Bandurkin posted seven points (three goals, four assists) while Jonny Ruiz (four goals, one assist), Jacob Ratcliffe (five assists), and Connor Woolley (two goals, three assists) each contributed five points. Goaltender Conor McCollum posted a .916 save percentage despite a 2-7-1 record.
For Binghamton, captain Tyson Kirkby paced the club with four goals and nine assists, while CJ Stubbs added four goals and eight assists. Cam Clark, Scott Ramaekers, and Austin Thompson each had four goals, and Gavin Yates totaled 10 points (three goals, seven assists). In goal, Connor McAnanama went 5-0-1 with a .928 save percentage, Nolan Egbert finished 3-1 with a .927 save percentage, and CJ Hapward stopped 22 of 25 shots in his first appearance against Danbury on March 14, earning the win.
ABOUT THE BLACK BEARS
The Binghamton Black Bears are fresh off their second consecutive Commissioner’s Cup championship and a historic season. They swept the Carolina Thunderbirds, now the Twin City Thunderbirds, three games to none in the Finals for the second straight year, becoming the first team in the FPHL’s 15-year history to win back-to-back titles. Binghamton finished the playoffs 7-1-0, winning five straight with a plus-19 goal differential on the way to the championship. In the regular season, they were the league’s best team by 19 points, winning the Empire Division for the second consecutive year with a 46-6-4 record and a plus-148 goal differential, despite leading the league in penalty minutes (1,401). Binghamton defended the Visions Veterans Memorial Ice, losing just twice in regulation and once in a shootout to the Hat Tricks (Nov. 2). The Black Bears closed out the regular season with 20 straight home wins, including three over Danbury, and went a perfect 4-0 in the playoffs.
This season, Binghamton is off to another strong start, winning both opening weekend games against the Watertown Wolves and Friday’s home-and-home series opener with Danbury. Last weekend, the Black Bears outlasted the Wolves in a shootout, Friday, Oct. 10, 5-4, after surrendering a 4-2 third-period lead. Mac Jansen scored the only shootout goal in the second round. The next night, Oct. 11, Binghamton exploded in the third period of a 3-3 game, scoring four unanswered goals. Rookie forward Joowon Kim scored twice, while veteran CJ Stubbs added the game-winning goal and two assists.
Binghamton has scored four power-play goals on 20 opportunities while allowing four on 14 penalty-kill chances. Through three games, Stubbs leads the team with six points (1G, 5A), while Austin Thompson paces the group in goals with four. Ivan Bonderanko (2-3-5), Kim (2-3-5), and Kirby Yates (1-4-5) each have five points, while Jansen (2-2-4) and Jacob Shankar (four assists) both have four. Captain Tyson Kirkby was placed on the 15-day injured reserve after suffering an injury last weekend. Kirkby, second in the league in points (97) last season, also ranked third in power-play goals (12) and led the Black Bears in assists (60) and short-handed goals (four), while Thompson led the team in goals (39) and game-winning goals (nine).
The Black Bears return FPHL Goaltender of the Year and Commissioner’s Cup Playoffs MVP Connor McAnanama, who led the league in wins last season with 30. His 30-3-1 record was the best in the FPHL, and his 2.08 goals-against average (first), .922 save percentage (fourth), and four shutouts (second) ranked among the league leaders. Despite a 2-0 record to start this season, he sports a .788 save percentage and a 3.38 goals-against average.
HAT TRICKS HEADLINES
The Hat Tricks have dropped the first three games of the 2025-26 season—their opening weekend series against the Port Huron Prowlers at home and Friday in Binghamton. Last weekend, Danbury was outscored seven to one in two games and combined for 251 penalty minutes with the Prowlers. The only other time the Hat Tricks lost three-straight games to start a season was during their inaugural campaign when they started 0-2-2-0. Last year, Danbury got off to an inconsistent start, going 3-4-3-1 in the first 12 games, but turned it around after a disappointing weekend sweep in Wytheville, Virginia, Jan. 10-11, finishing the regular season 19-5-3-3. Despite that late surge, the Hat Tricks were swept in the opening round of the playoffs for the second consecutive season, falling to Motor City in 2024 and Port Huron in 2025.
Danbury retooled its roster under first-year head coach John Bierchen and general manager AJ Galante. Bierchen, 37, a native of Clearwater, Florida, brings a decade of coaching experience across North America and Europe, including recent stints with the Nordic Hockey Academy in Austria and Kärpät’s under-18 program in Finland. He has also coached in the SPHL, ECHL, and NCAA ranks and is a former goaltender and head coach for the University of Alabama (ACHA).
The Hat Tricks return 11 players from last season but will miss the leadership and production of several longtime contributors. Defenseman and former co-head coach Kyle Gonzalez retired after anchoring the blue line for multiple seasons, and forward Connor Woolley also retired. Forward Cory Anderson, the second-leading scorer in franchise history and among the top three in team goals and points, moved into coaching. Danbury also lost forward Jacob Ratcliffe, who ranks fifth all-time in games played, fourth in points, and second in assists, along with forward Chase Harwell, who ranks in the top 10 in goals, power-play goals, and short-handed goals. The Hat Tricks must also replace their high-scoring “Russian line” of Gleb Bandurkin, Vadim Frolov, and Aleksandr Vasilyev. Bandurkin, the team’s 2024 Rookie and Offensive Player of the Year, was traded to the Athens Rock Lobsters; Vasilyev returned overseas; and Frolov is currently playing in the SPHL.
FILLing IN THE GAPS
Among the newcomers, forward Alexander Legkov headlines the group after an explosive season with the New Jersey 87’s (EHL), tallying 97 points (31 goals, 66 assists) in 38 games and earning league Forward of the Year, first-team All-Star honors, and Frozen Finals MVP. He is joined by forwards Denis Zaychik (formerly HC Venom) and Austan Bellefeuille (Blue Ridge Bobcats) and defenseman Connor Craig (HC Venom), all expected to make an immediate impact. They will join returning core players, including alternate captain and Defensive Player of the Year Josh Labelle, two-way forward Josh Newberg, and skilled winger Zach Pamaylaon.
NEW ACQUISITIONS MAKING AN IMPACT
Earlier this week, Danbury acquired forward Jordon Kromm from the Blue Ridge Bobcats, reinstated forward Noah Robinson from a loan with the Jacksonville Icemen (ECHL), and signed veteran winger Jake Raleigh. Kromm, 26, scored in his debut Friday when his first period shot deflected off the post, off the goaltender, and in for his first Danbury goal. The Calgary, Alberta, native began his pro career last season with Asplöven HF in Sweden’s Division 2, posting 21 points (10 goals, 11 assists) in 28 games after four years at the University of Jamestown (ACHA). Robinson, 28, registered an assist in his season debut after tallying 35 points (15 goals, 20 assists) in 47 games last year between Monroe and Danbury. Raleigh, 28, joins the Hat Tricks after splitting last season between the SPHL and FPHL, recording 17 points (nine goals, eight assists) in 43 games with the Macon Mayhem while also appearing with the Motor City Rockers and Columbus River Dragons.
MR. DANBURY is back
Captain Jonny Ruiz returns for his sixth season in Hat City and remains the face of the franchise. The 31-year-old scored a power play goal Friday in Binghamton and holds every major offensive record in team history, including games played (247), points (329), goals (176), assists (153), power-play goals (51), and short-handed goals (17). A four-time team MVP and three-time Offensive Player of the Year, Ruiz led Danbury to the 2023 Commissioner’s Cup championship and continues to set the standard for leadership and production. He owns the two highest single-season point totals in team history (85 in 2021-22 and 74 in 2023-24) and the top three goal-scoring seasons (49, 38, 35). Ruiz became the first player in franchise history to surpass 300 career points on Feb. 22, 2025, against Port Huron.
The Danbury Hat Tricks continue their sixth season in the Federal Prospects Hockey League on Friday, Oct. 17 against the Binghamton Black Bears at Visions Veterans Memorial Arena in Binghamton before returning home versus the Black Bears on Saturday, Oct. 18. Single-game tickets and season ticket packages are on sale now 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.
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.