Hat Tricks win historic 11th consecutive game; set Danbury record

With an overtime goal potted by Carter Shinkaruk, the Danbury Hat Tricks achieved city history by notching their 11th consecutive victory. The win establishes a new Danbury professional hockey record for longest streak, besting the 2015-16 Danbury Titans' old record of 10.

The Hat Tricks' resiliency has been a major contributing factor to their success. Four of their 11 wins over the course of this streak have required comebacks at some point over the course of the game. Six wins game by two goals or fewer. Players have been promoted, traded, signed, and yet...the team continues to win. 

Simply put, this stretch of hockey has been a roller-coaster ride in every sense. 

"We feel very good about our team heading into Christmas," head coach Billy McCreary noted. "We took our lumps early on in the season, dug in, and got to work. So the results we've been getting of late are a testament to the character in the locker room and the process we go through on a daily basis."

Forward Phil Bronner is no stranger to streaks like this one. After all, he was a key component of that Titans team that strung together 10 straight and eventually made the Commissioner's Cup Final.

"It feels great to put together a winning streak of this length against a bunch of different teams and over a month long," said alternate captain Phil Bronner, who has 14 points in the streak. "The Titans team we just passed had tons and tons of talent. As a new expansion team, this streak has given us swagger, and the expectation going into each game that we're going to win it."

Jonny Ruiz and Gordy Bonnel lead the team in scoring over the 11-game streak, each boasting 18 points over that span. Cory Anderson is the only Hat Tricks player to register points in all 11 wins, registering seven goals and seven assists.

"It's a special group in that room," McCreary added. "We want to continue to strengthen those bonds down the stretch."

"This team's closeness and camaraderie off the ice helps us on the ice, and I think you can start to see that now," Bronner pointed out. "We look forward to continuing to build towards a championship."

The winning streak record includes all professional franchises to have played in Danbury: Titans (2015-17), Whalers, (10-15), Mad Hatters (08-09) and Trashers (04-06). The New England Stars also played a lower level of semi-professional hockey in Danbury in 2006-07, winning 22 consecutive games in the now-defunct North Eastern Hockey League.

Danbury will gun for its 12th straight win Thursday night in Mentor as they take on the Ice Breakers in a divisional showdown. They return home Saturday at 7pm to battle the Elmira Enforcers. Tickets are available by clicking here.