Hat Tricks Out-Muscle Wolves

Danbury, CT- After a rough two-game road trip to Biloxi, the Danbury Hat Tricks returned home looking for some home cooking to lift their souls and home record. They ultimately got what they sought, but not without a physical and grueling matchup against the defending Commissioner’s Cup Champion Watertown Wolves.

The Wolves got the jump in the first period, outshooting the Hat Tricks 9-4 and landing a power play goal thanks to the efforts of Elijah Wilson at the 16:34 point of the stanza.

Danbury woke back up in the second period and were rewarded with a fortunate puck bounce odd Michael Marchesan’s stick to knot the score even at the 9:17 mark of the frame.

The Hat Tricks’ power play, which has struggled for much of the season got a needed chance near the third period’s middle point thanks to a Brandon Baker cross checking penalty, and Danbury capitalized on the chance. Daniel McKitrick popped a rebound off a Michael Marchesan shot into the net put the Hat Tricks ahead 2-1. Watertown kept attacking but failed to beat Brian Wilson, who stopped 26 of 27 shots, and Dmitry Kuznetsov landed the empty net goal to end the scoring at 3-1.

Watertown drops to 11-16-0, and combined with Elmira’s win over Binghamton, drops the Wolves into 4^th place in the FPHL’s Empire Division. . Owen Liskiewicz stopped 22 of 24 shots faced. The Wolves hit the road next weekend for a two-game slate in Fraser, MI, to play the Motor City Rockers.

Danbury improves to  22-3-3, still sitting in first place in the Empire Division, six points ahead of the Binghamton Black Bears, whom the Hat Tricks meet on Saturday night. Puck drops at 7PM for the matchup between the first place teams in the Empire.