Game Recap: Hat Tricks Trounce River Sharks 8-1 in Final Meeting of Season

DANBURY —  The Hat Tricks speared the River Sharks 8-1 Sunday afternoon in the final meeting of the season between the two teams. The Hat Tricks scored six special teams goals, four on the power play and two shorthanded, en route to their 30th victory of the season. All but six of Danbury’s skaters notched a point while forward Daniel McKitrick posted a game-high four points (1g, 3a).

With the win, the Hat Tricks now find themselves two points behind Motor City for second place in the Empire Division and home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

6:22 into the first period, captain Jonny Ruiz slapped the puck past River Sharks netminder Samuel LiVecchi to open the scoring. Ruiz’s team-high 11th power play goal put the Hat Tricks up 1-0. At 13:35, River Sharks forward Davide Gaeta tapped in a backdoor pass from Antoine Gignac to tie the game up. With four minutes remaining, Jacob Ratcliffe roofed a net-side feed from Charlie Bedard for the shorthanded goal and a 2-1 advantage. With less than a minute left in the period, Chase Harwell cashed in on the power play to push the lead to two. 

In the second period, the Hat Tricks grabbed another three goals, two on the man advantage and one shorthanded. Corey Cunningham one-timed the puck through the pads of LiVecchi, Harwell deflected a point shot to bring the score to 5-1, and Bohdan Zinchenko, with 2:20 left, was sprung on a breakaway to extend the lead to 6-1.

3:19 into the third, Kyle Gonzalez made it 6-1 on a snapshot from the slot. With 12:14 remaining, McKitrick shoveled home the short-handed give-and-go goal to conclude the scoring.

Hat Tricks netminder Connor McCollum made 39 saves on 40 shots, while LiVecchi allowed eight on 53 shots.

Danbury closes out the regular season at home on Friday, April 12 against Binghamton. The puck drop is set for 7:30 p.m.

The Hat Tricks are in a playoff push and we want you to be a part of it! Playoff ticket packages are on sale now! Call Herm Sorcher at (973) 713-7547 to secure yours today or press here to learn more. To buy single-game regular season tickets press here. Don't miss the excitement of the playoffs—secure your tickets today and join us in supporting the Danbury Hat Tricks!

To stay up to date on all things Danbury Hat Tricks hockey, go to www.danburyhattricks.com and follow the team on social media.