Game Recap: Hat Tricks Grab One Point in Overtime Loss to Watertown

WATERTOWN, NY — Vladislav Pavlov’s wrist shot in overtime lifted Watertown over the Hat Tricks 3-2 on Friday night in the first game of the weekend trio. With the loss, the Hat Tricks have now dropped five consecutive games and six of the last seven.

Wolves goalie Eloi Bouchard made 35 saves on 37 shots while Hat Tricks netminder Conor McCollum allowed three goals on 44 shots.

Watertown was assessed a pre-game warm-up violation resulting in an early man advantage for the Hat Tricks. But Danbury squandered its power play opportunity. Shortly after that, Brandon Stojcevski was assessed an interference penalty and Watertown quickly cashed in thanks to a Trevor Lord slap shot at 2:31 of the period.

In the second period, the Hat Tricks answered with a power play goal of their own. At 3:58, Captain Jonny Ruiz netted a one-timer from the left face-off circle to tie things up at one. Ruiz, the Hat Tricks’ leader in goals and points, missed last weekend’s games against Elmira following the birth of his child.

With under seven minutes left in the second, Watertown’s goals and points leader Tate Leeson buried a breakaway to re-establish the Wolves’ one-goal lead.

With time running out on the Hat Tricks’ comeback effort, Ruiz swooped in off the boards and scored his second of the night to even the score at two and secure a road point by forcing overtime.

But in the end, it only took a minute-and-a-half for Watertown's Pavlov to snipe a wrister past McCollum for the game-winner. 

The Hat Tricks return to action Saturday and Sunday to finish off a three-game road series in Watertown. The puck is set to drop Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 7:05 p.m.  

The Hat Tricks are more than midway through their regular season Cup defense and we still want you to be a part of it! Season and single-game tickets are still available for purchase. 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.