McGuckin records first shutout in Hat Tricks history vs T-Birds

Tom McGuckin made history Saturday night, recording the first shutout in Danbury Hat Tricks history by blanking the Carolina Thunderbirds 3-0.

McGuckin turned aside all 54 shots thrown his way to stymy the defending champs. The clean sheet comes just one night after McGuckin set a club record by stopping 63 shots en route to a 5-1 victory over Carolina.

The Thunderbirds had not been held to one goal since December 14th of 2018, a game in which Carolina beat the Elmira Enforcers 1-0. They had not been shut out since November 24th, 2018- a 3-0 loss to Mentor.

"The team was really dialed in," commented head coach Billy McCreary. "The guys in front [of McGuckin] were fantastic at picking up sticks, blocking shots and keeping most of Carolina's shots from low percentage areas. When they did get to the Grade A spots, Tommy was there with his typical game-changing save."

McGuckin has grabbed hold of the reigns of the starting job since the beginning of the season. He lost his first three decisions of the season, allowing 13 goals in the process. Since then, he is 11-1 with a .928 save percentage and 2.82 goals-against average.

"The focus [Tom] brings to the rink everyday was evident throughout the weekend," McCreary praised. "He never takes a day off. But with that being said, we certainly can't forget about the efforts of our goalie coach Matt Voity. We're fortunate to have a coach of his caliber and we're seeing the results from our goaltenders."

The sweep improves Danbury's record over the Thunderbirds to 3-1. No team was able to beat Carolina three times in a season series the entirety of the 2018-19 season.

Danbury now turns its attention towards the Watertown Wolves, who pay a visit to Danbury Arena this Thursday at 7 p.m. Tickets are available by clicking here. Carolina will venture up to Connecticut for the final three games of their season series with the Hat Tricks January 30th-February 1st.