Late surge sends Hat Tricks to 5-2 win over Sentinels

The Danbury Hat Tricks pulled away with four third-period goals to defeat the Indiana Sentinels 5–2 Friday night in the third of four straight meetings between the teams.

After jumping out to a 6-0 lead in shots, Danbury opened the scoring at 7:38 when Kaiden Kandereka put a slap shot past Chris Curr for a 1-0 lead. With the goal, Kandereka now has seven on the season.

The Hat Tricks nearly added to their lead with some good chances in the latter half of the period, but the Sentinels got on the board next when Dalton Anderson tied the game 1-1 at 4:44.

Ten seconds into four-on-four play at 15:27 of the second period, after two roughing minors on Jordon Kromm and Dylan Infantino, Ivan Ponivanov walked the puck down from the blue line. He put a shot past Kyle Penton to give Indiana the 2-1 lead.

In the third period, Danbury found some momentum after killing off a delay-of-game penalty. Kromm opened the final frame’s scoring with the tying goal to make it 2-2 at 8:14.

At 4:30, Austin Pickford’s point shot was deflected in front by the Sentinels and past Curr for the Hat Tricks’ first lead since the opening period.

Fifteen seconds later, at 4:15, Eli Rivers scored his team-leading 16th goal of the season from the left wing to extend Danbury’s lead to 4-2.

With 2:23 left, Anton Rubtsov scored into Indiana’s empty net for the Hat Tricks’ fourth goal of the period to make it 5-2.

The Hat Tricks face the Sentinels for the final meeting of the four-game stretch Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at Hamilton Community Ice Arena.

The Danbury Hat Tricks continue their sixth season in the Federal Prospects Hockey League on Saturday, Feb. 21 (7:30 p.m.) at the Hamilton Community Ice Arena, to take on the Indiana Sentinels. Single-game tickets and partial season ticket packages are on sale and can be purchased in person at the Hat Tricks office located inside the Danbury Ice Arena at 1 Independence Way in Danbury, by calling (973-713-7547) or emailing (herm@danburyhattricks.com) the office, or online through Tixr. For the latest Hat Tricks news, visit www.danburyhattricks.com, follow the team on Facebook (www.facebook.com/danburyhattricks), Instagram (@danburyhattricks), X (@DanburyHatTrick), TikTok (@danburyhattricks), and YouTube (@DanburyHatTricks), and subscribe to the Hat Tricks' newsletter.

ABOUT DANBURY HAT TRICKS:

The Danbury Hat Tricks are a professional hockey team based in Danbury, CT, and compete in the Federal Prospects Hockey League (FPHL). Since their founding in 2019, the 2023 Commissioner's Cup Champions have brought thrilling, fast-paced, and hard-hitting hockey to the Danbury Ice Arena, earning a reputation for their competitive spirit, electric atmosphere, and strong community ties. The team is dedicated to providing an unforgettable game-day experience for fans of all ages while proudly representing the city of Danbury.