Game Recap: Hat Tricks Nab a Point in OT Loss to Prowlers

DANBURY — The Hat Tricks dropped an overtime thriller to the Prowlers 3-2 on Sunday afternoon in the final game of the weekend and season series. The win marks the first for the Prowlers inside the Danbury Ice Arena in 12 tries.

Although the Hat Tricks and Prowlers traded chances with displays of offensive creativity in the opening 20 minutes, the goalies put on a spectacle to keep it scoreless. Port Huron’s Ian Wallace turned aside 18 shots, five of which came during a mid-period penalty kill. Danbury’s Liam Murray did not endure as many shots in the first period but stopped all ten shots he faced. 

Danbury generated more goal-scoring chances in the first stanza, but Port Huron fired the first eight shots of the second period and eventually drew first blood. Off an elevated feed from Vincent Dekumbis, Evan Foley glided down the left wing and flipped a shot over Murray’s left shoulder into the top right corner to give his team a 1-0 lead. The assists marked Dekumbis’ fifth apple in his last 4 contests.

At the 9:27 mark, an Alex Johnson hooking penalty opened a window of opportunity for the Hat Tricks. Danbury converted thanks to Jacob Ratcliffe’s resilience near the blue line. The Prowlers double-teamed Ratcliffe at the left point, but the Hat Tricks’ forward rifled a pass across the ice to a wide-open Jarod Yau who slithered towards the high slot and launched a wrister past Wallace to even the score at one. Ratcliffe’s assist was his ninth point against the Prowlers this season and his fifth of the weekend. The Hat Tricks built off of this momentum by clanking two shots off the pipes, but failed to cash in before the second intermission. Port Huron continued peppering shots at Murray who remained undeterred and kept the game deadlocked after two periods of play.  

At the start of the third, Murray's domination in the cage continued. The Fort Lauderdale native’s play energized the crowd and the Hat Tricks used it to control the forecheck game in the offensive zone. With under 13 minutes to play, Steve Brown won a loose-puck battle and knocked a Prowler to the ice. Connor Wooley retained possession and centered the puck to Brandon Stojcevski who one-timed a shot past Wallace’s outstretched pad to give the Hat Tricks a 2-1 advantage. However, Port Huron responded with 5:13 left in the third. After a scrum in front of the goal, Matt Graham and Liam Freeborn directed the puck to Bryan Parsons, who wound up and cranked it through Murray’s five hole. Parsons’ third goal of the year tied the game up at two and forced overtime between the teams for the third time this season.  

The Hat Tricks opened the extra period with two shots on goal, but the Prowlers stormed down the ice and ended the game when Matt Graham poked a rebound through Murray and into the net to give Port Huron its first win over the Hat Tricks this campaign. 

After winning two of three this weekend, Danbury rests for five days and welcomes the Binghamton Black Bears to the Hat City on Friday, March 9. The puck drop is set for 7 p.m. on a very special Alumni Night.

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.