Game Preview: Hat Tricks vs. Port Huron Prowlers | Oct. 11
Game Materials Here
LAST TIME OUT
The Port Huron Prowlers topped the Danbury Hat Tricks 3-1 on opening night in the teams’ first meeting since the Ben Brockway “flag plant” incident in last season’s playoffs. Defenseman Alex Johnson led the way with two goals, and head coach and general manager Matt Graham added the power-play game-winner midway through the third period. Goaltender Reid Cooper was outstanding for Port Huron, stopping 47 of 48 shots for his first win of the season.
Danbury’s lone tally came from alternate captain Josh Labelle, who ripped a power-play shot over Cooper’s shoulder to tie the game at 1-1. The goal followed a five-minute major to Port Huron’s Jamie Bucell for charging after a hit on Hat Tricks captain Jonny Ruiz, who later returned to the game.
The heated rivalry carried over with four fights, including two involving Danbury’s 6-foot-8 Jesse Swanson — one just two seconds into the game with A.J. Schlepp and another against Brockway later in the first period. Additional scraps featured Josh Tomasi and Bucell in the second and Brett Morich and Justin Movalli in the third.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
Port Huron eliminated Danbury in the 2025 Empire Division semifinals, a series capped by defenseman Ben Brockway’s controversial “flag plant” celebration at center ice — an incident that was not disciplined by the league but became one of the offseason’s biggest talking points. The Hat Tricks have made it clear they remember the slight, and the energy inside Danbury Ice Arena should reflect that.
In that playoff series, Danbury opened Game 1 on the road with a 2-0 lead before the Prowlers scored six straight goals to win 6-3. Back in Danbury for Game 2, the Hat Tricks responded with two power-play goals — one each from Labelle and Noah Robinson — to force a decisive Game 3. Once again, Danbury jumped ahead 2-0, but Port Huron stormed back with five unanswered goals to clinch the series and end the Hat Tricks’ season.
The two sides met seven times during the 2024-25 regular season, with Danbury winning the series 5-2 (3-1-1-2). Ruiz led the Hat Tricks with 13 points (five goals, eight assists), while Graham paced Port Huron with eight (four goals, four assists).
The season series opened in Port Huron on Nov. 29-30, where Danbury swept both games (5-4, 5-2). Gleb Bandurkin scored the Game 1 winner early in the third period, and the Hat Tricks followed with a dominant Game 2, jumping out to a 5-0 lead through two periods behind multi-point efforts from Aleksandr Vasilyev (one goal, one assist) and Ruiz (one goal, three assists).
In their February rematch (Feb. 14-15), Danbury erupted for five unanswered third-period goals to win the opener 7-2, highlighted by Vadim Frolov’s first career hat trick. The Prowlers responded the next night with a 4-2 win in a bruising contest that featured 82 combined penalty minutes.
The final three games shifted to Danbury and produced more fireworks. On Feb. 22, the Hat Tricks rallied from a 3-1 deficit to earn a 6-5 shootout win. Robinson and Dylan Hullaby scored back-to-back power-play goals, Ruiz tied the game early in the third, and Hullaby forced overtime before Danbury prevailed in a seven-round shootout. The Prowlers took the next matchup on Feb. 28, 3-2 in overtime, before the Hat Tricks closed the series with a 4-3 overtime win on March 1. Ruiz scored twice, and co-head coach and alternate captain Kyle Gonzalez buried the winner at 4:24 of overtime — his second of the season, both against Port Huron.
Historically, Danbury has dominated the matchup with a 16-4-4-4 all-time record, including a 14-2-4 mark at home. The Hat Tricks have lost only twice in regulation to the Prowlers on home ice — the deciding Game 3 of last year’s playoff series and Friday night.
ABOUT THE PROWLERS
The Prowlers enter their 11th season in the FPHL and are the league’s second-longest-tenured franchise behind the Watertown Wolves. Last season, they advanced past the first round for the first time in four years before being swept by the eventual Commissioner’s Cup champion Binghamton Black Bears.
Port Huron returns 13 players from last year’s roster, including Brockway, who might once again be public enemy No. 1 in Danbury tonight. The franchise also underwent its first ownership change this summer after a decade under Barry Soskin, signaling a new era for the organization.
Assistant coach and assistant general manager Alex Johnson leads the group in goals after scoring twice in Friday night’s opener. The 5-foot-10 defenseman from Watertown, South Dakota, paced the team in assists (45) and plus-minus (+31) last year. Head coach and general manager Matt Graham potted the game-winner Friday. The longtime FPHL veteran from Rancho Cucamonga, California, led Port Huron in goals (24) and points (66) last season. Both players were impactful in last year’s playoff series, with Johnson posting a goal and two assists while Graham added a goal and four helpers. Returning forwards Reginald Millette and Austin Fetterly ranked third and fourth on last year’s squad in points, respectively, while Lucas Lacny finished second in both goals (20) and power-play goals (nine).
In goal, Cooper picked up right where he left off last season. No longer splitting reps with Valtteri Nousiainen, the 27-year-old stopped 47 shots in Friday’s season debut. In the playoffs last year, the 6-foot-2 Corman Park, Saskatchewan, native started four games, going 3-1 with a .926 save percentage, 2.80 goals-against average and a shutout. During the regular season, the second-year Prowler went 9-4-3 with a 2.86 GAA and .906 save percentage.
HAT TRICKS HEADLINES
Danbury begins a new chapter of its own. After back-to-back first-round playoff exits — to Motor City in 2024 and Port Huron in 2025 — the Hat Tricks retooled their roster under first-year head coach John Bierchen and general manager AJ Galante. Bierchen, a 37-year-old 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 U18 program in Finland. He previously coached in the SPHL, ECHL and NCAA ranks and is a former goalie and head coach for the University of Alabama (ACHA).
The Hat Tricks return 10 players from last year’s team 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. Forward Connor Woolley also retired, while forward Cory Anderson — the second-leading scorer in franchise history and among the top three in team goals and points — moved on to coaching. Danbury also lost forward Jacob Ratcliffe, who ranks fifth all-time in games played, fourth in points and second in assists in team history, along with forward Chase Harwell, who sits 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 on loan with the ECHL’s Tulsa Oilers.
Despite the turnover, Danbury’s front office has assembled a promising mix of youth, skill and grit — one that fits the city’s identity and Bierchen’s up-tempo system.
OUT WITH THE OLD, IN WITH THE NEW
Among the newcomers, forward Alexander Legkov headlines the group after an explosive season with the New Jersey 87’s (EHL), where he tallied 97 points (31 goals, 66 assists) in 38 games, earning league Forward of the Year, first-team all-star honors and Frozen Finals MVP. He’s joined by forwards Denis Zaychik (formerly HC Venom) and Austan Bellefeuille (Blue Ridge Bobcats) and defenseman Connor Craig (HC Venom) — all key pieces expected to make an immediate impact. They’ll slot alongside returning core players, including alternate captain and Defensive Player of the Year Josh Labelle, two-way forward Josh Newberg and skilled winger Zach Pamaylaon.
LIFE WITHOUT MC
Danbury will also need to find consistency in goal following the departure of co-MVP and franchise wins leader Conor McCollum, who led the FPHL in wins as a rookie (24) in 2023-24. Three goaltenders — veteran Frankie McClendon, newcomer Andrew LoRusso and rookie Kyle Penton — are vying for the starting job to open the season. McClendon got the first start Friday, stopping 29 of 32 shots.
Penton, signed out of the Hat Tricks’ free agent camp, is slated to get the start Saturday night. The Waltham, Massachusetts, native joins after a three-year collegiate career at the University of Southern Maine, where he posted a .912 save percentage and a 3.33 goals-against average over 55 games. Penton earned NEHC Goaltender of the Week honors last February and set a program record with 63 saves against Hobart College in 2024.
MR. DANBURY RETURNS
Captain Jonny Ruiz returned last night for his sixth season in Hat City and remains the face of the franchise. The 31-year-old 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 define the franchise’s 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 and 35). Ruiz became the first player in franchise history to surpass 300 points on Feb. 22, 2025, against Port Huron — fittingly, the opponent in tonight’s home opener.
BIG BRUISER ADDED
In his first move as general manager, AJ Galante brought added muscle to the roster with 6-foot-8 forward Jesse Swanson. The Saskatchewan native wasted no time making his presence felt, dropping the gloves twice — including one just two seconds into the game. Swanson logged 57 penalty minutes and one assist in six games for HC Venom last season and adds an immediate edge to Danbury’s gritty lineup.
The Danbury Hat Tricks open their sixth season in the Federal Prospects Hockey League on Friday, Oct. 10 and Saturday, Oct. 11, with a playoff rematch against the Port Huron Prowlers at the Danbury Ice Arena. 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.