HAT TRICKS DROP OVERTIME THRILLER IN WATERTOWN

WATERTOWN, NY – The Danbury Hat Tricks (4-2-0-1-1) dropped a Friday-night contest on the road in overtime 5-4 to the Watertown Wolves (5-2-0-1-0).

Cory Anderson got the Hat Tricks off to a flying start on Friday night, scoring a goal from the bottom of the right circle just 45 seconds into the game.

The Hat Tricks had trouble seizing momentum from the early tally, allowing Watertown to take a 2-1 lead after a Josh Labelle goal in the first and a Johnny Bonta goal 1:18 into the second.

Danbury then shifted the tide back in its favor with two Dmitry Kuznetsov goals, one five minutes after Bonta’s goal and the other coming 1:20 into the third.

Leading 3-2 after Kuznetsov’s second of the night, Danbury faced a Watertown barrage culminating in Justin MacDonald’s seventh of the season at the 6:39 mark.

Neither team was able to get a firm grasp on the game on Friday as Kuznetsov answered MacDonald’s game-tying goal at the 12:27 mark with his seventh goal and second hat trick of the season.

The back-and-forth affair continued when Michael Mercurio answered just 25 seconds after Kuznetsov’s third goal to bring the Wolves level.

The scored was knotted at four as the game headed to overtime.

Both teams had multiple opportunities in the extra frame and Mercurio was able to net his second of the night to give Watertown the win.

The Hat Tricks and Wolves are back at it tomorrow in Danbury to finish off the home-and-home with a 7 p.m. puck drop at Danbury Arena.