Ruiz Hat Trick Powers Danbury Win in Carolina

Winston-Salem, NC- The Danbury Hat Tricks passed their first road test with flying colors on Friday night against the Carolina Thunderbirds. Primarily led by three performers.

First, Goaltender Brian Wilson continued his excellent start to the season with 42 saves on 44 shots faced, including all 17 shots in a scoreless first period. 

Second, Hat Tricks Captain Jonny Ruiz recorded his fourth career hat trick in the second period. Ruiz scored his goals at the 0:39, 3:23, and 10:01 marks of the period. 

Third, Dmitry Kuznetsov notched two goals in his first game with the Hat Tricks after returning from a loan to the SPHL. Kuznetsov made the score 4-0 before second intermission. Then, after Carolina’s Josh Koepplinger and Lucas Rowe each scored a third period goal to make the score 4-2, Kuznetsov scored his second goal of the game on an empty net to end the scoring at 5-2. 

The Hat Tricks improve to 5-0 with the win. 

Jared Yau recorded two assists. John MacDonald, Gordie Bonnel, Brendan Sheehan, and Steve Leonard all recorded an assist each. 

The Hat Tricks face the Thunderbirds again tonight. Puck drops at the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds Annex at 7PM ET.