FPHL 
Game Preview: #2 Hat Tricks at #3 Port Huron Prowlers | Round One, Game One | April 18, 2025
LAST TIME OUT
The Hat Tricks wrapped up the regular season with a 5-2 home win over the Watertown Wolves. Co-head coach and captain Jonny Ruiz and Dylan Hullaby each netted two goals with Ruiz tipping in the game-winning goal 20 seconds into the third period for a 3-1 lead. Connor Woolley also scored at 2:16 of the third from the left circle adding an insurance goal. Watertown’s goals came via special teams as Davide Gaeta sliced a 2-0 advantage in half on the power play at 17:57 of the second and Declan Flanagan scored on the man advantage with 4:36 remaining in the third. With the win, the Hat Tricks finished the regular season 5-1-4-1 versus Watertown, 6-4 in their final 10 games, and 16-7-3-2 at home overall.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
The No. 2 Hat Tricks face off with the No. 3 Port Huron Prowlers in the Empire Division Semifinals starting Friday in Michigan. The two sides battled seven times in the regular season. The Hat Tricks won the series, 5-2 (3-1-1-2). Each team featured two goaltenders with Conor McCollum (4-1-1, 91.5%) and Frankie McClendon (1-0, 33/37) for Danbury and, for Port Huron, Reid Cooper (1-1-2, 88.6%) and Valtteri Nousiainen (1-2, 87.5%). Jonny Ruiz led Danbury with five goals and eight assists and Port Huron’s Matt Graham had a team-high four goals and four assists.
Starting with a two-game series in Port Huron, Mich., on Nov. 29–30, Danbury won the set (5-4W, 5-2W). The first contest was a back-and-forth barnburner until Gleb Bandurkin’s game-winning goal five minutes into the third period. In a more lopsided second game, the Hat Tricks again scored three goals in the first period and two in the second before neither team scored in the third. Aleksandr Vasilyev (1g, 1a) and Jonny Ruiz (1g, 3a) were the key players offensively while the penalty kill held clear in six of seven opportunities.
A two-game series from Feb. 14–15 brought the Hat Tricks and the Prowlers back to McMorran Arena. Danbury netted five unanswered goals in the third period and Vadim Frolov posted his first-career hat trick in the first game (7-2W). The Prowlers responded the next night with three unanswered goals in the second period (4-2W) in a very physical game that saw 82 combined penalty minutes.
The series moved to Danbury for the next three games and the teams’ battles did not disappoint. Rallying from a 3-1 deficit on Feb. 22 (6-5SOW), the Hat Tricks’ power play unit supplied the momentum needed. Noah Robinson and Dylan Hullaby scored back-to-back on the man advantage 1:46 apart and Jonny Ruiz tied the game at four at 5:22 of the third. Port Huron’s Lucas Lacny put the Prowlers back in the lead at 13:44 but Hullaby’s second goal at 6-on-5 forced overtime and Danbury won a seven-round shootout, 3-2.
On Feb. 28, Danbury’s two goals in the middle frame (3-2OTL) were spoiled with only an overtime point. Port Huron’s Ludwig Thellstrom scored at 7:44 of the third while the Hat Tricks only put five shots on goal, and Matt Graham sealed the game at 3:21 of overtime. Danbury and Port Huron had their most tense meeting of the season on March 1 (4-3OTW) without any scoring until the second period. Ruiz scored at 3:05 and then on the power play with 4:57 left in the frame, but the Prowlers evened the contest in the third with goals from Graham and Luke James. Co-head coach and alternate captain Kyle Gonzalez then buried a goal at 4:24 of overtime, his second of the season, with both coming against the Prowlers.
ABOUT THE PROWLERS
Port Huron enters the 2025 Commissioner’s Cup playoffs as the three-seed in the Empire Division. The Prowlers were one of the hottest teams in the division down the stretch, winning 11 of their final 13 games, including a nine-game win streak from March 7–29 (26 points).
What started as a turbulent 15-game stretch to open the season (4-6-3-2), the Prowlers did not win more than three games in a row until their five-game win streak (15 points) from Jan. 4–18. Port Huron potted 33 combined goals during that stretch, which included a win against reigning Commissioner’s Cup champion Binghamton (8-6W) on Jan. 4. Despite a 2-4-1-1 mark in the month of February, the Prowlers scored 5.1 goals per game over their next 10 to finish March 8-0-1-1.
Port Huron’s power play ended the regular season ranked eighth (20.3%) in the FPHL, but scored the fifth-most goals, with 50. The Prowlers finished up the regular season with the eighth-ranked penalty kill (80.2%) and the fourth-most goals allowed (51). In its final regular season set against Motor City last weekend, however, Port Huron’s kill was perfect in all nine opportunities.
The Prowlers are led by Matt Graham who scored the most goals (24) and points (66) in the regular season. The forward and Port Huron’s general manager and head coach scored four goals over the final five games and registered a season-best five-game goal streak (five goals) from Feb. 15–March 1. Defenseman Alex Johnson paced the Prowlers in assists, with 45, and his 65 points marked the team’s second-most. Rookie Goalie Valtteri Nousiainen was 17-11-2 with a 2.66 goals against average.
HAT TRICKS HEADLINES
Friday marks the Hat Tricks’ first playoff game of 2025. Danbury won its regular season finale against Watertown (5-2W) on Saturday to close the regular season with a 28-15-8-5 record (102 points). With two wins in three games in April, the Hat Tricks capped off the second half of the year as one of the FPHL’s hottest teams with 22 wins in 30 games and points in 25 of their final 30. Danbury is 20-7-3-4 and 8-6-1-2 on the road since the start of 2025. Averaging 4.4 goals per game, the Hat Tricks held the second-best goal differential (+54) in the Empire Division.
Danbury’s power play ranked third (24.4%) in the league and scored the third-most goals (53), including in seven of its final 10 contests (seven goals). On the penalty kill, the Hat Tricks ranked 11th (78.6%) and allowed the fifth-most goals (49). Nevertheless, they have performed well over their last 10 games, going 38-for-45 (84.4%) and were 95-for-109 (87.1%) across their last 24. The kill also delivered timely scoring with 13 shorthanded goals for the FPHL’s second-most, trailing Binghamton by five.
For the fourth year in a row, the Hat Tricks clinched the playoffs following their home win against HC Venom (4-2W) on March 9. In 10 full seasons with a Danbury-based franchise participating in the FPHL, Danbury has had a team in the Commissioner’s Cup Finals five times, as the Hat Tricks set out for their second Cup title in three seasons. The Binghamton Black Bears (44-6-1-5, 143 points) will attempt to capture back-to-back championships for the first time in league history and notched a 6-0-0-1 mark in the playoffs last season.
CO-HEAD COACHES’ FIRST PLAYOFFS
Co-head coaches Jonny Ruiz and Kyle Gonzalez turned in a winning season in their first year as player-bench bosses. It is the second time in franchise history a first-year head coach has finished the regular campaign above .500 with the second seed or better, and the first since Danbury’s inaugural season (2019-20), when former coach Billy McCreary led the Hat Tricks to a 29-12-3-1 record (94 points) and the top spot in the Empire Division until the COVID-19 pandemic wiped out the season. Ruiz tallied 29 goals and 32 assists in 46 games and led the FPHL in shorthanded goals (6) in his fifth season in Danbury, and Gonzalez totaled four goals and 24 helpers with a +7 in 54 outings in his fourth Hat Tricks season.
BANDURKIN BRILLIANCE SET FOR THE POSTSEASON
Forward Gleb Bandurkin has had a remarkable rookie season, registering a team-high 64 points (32g, 32a) with a +26 rating. The Hat Tricks awarded the 25-year-old of Moskov, Russia, both Offensive Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year honors, and Bandurkin became the first rookie in team history to win more than one award. Bandurkin logged five multi-goal outings, three of which were hat tricks.
LABELLE THE IRONMAN
Defenseman Josh Labelle played in all 56 games in his fourth professional season. The 26-year-old of Mississauga, Ontario, played in every game for the second season in his career, the first in 2021-22 (6g, 24a) as a Commissioner’s Cup champion with Watertown. Labelle has provided single-season-bests in goals (10), assists (38), and points (48) in his second season with Danbury.
MC ANOTHER MESMERIZING SEASON
Conor McCollum stopped 25 shots for his second straight win on Saturday and ended the regular season 22-13-6 with a .913 save percentage. In his second season as the starting netminder for the Hat Tricks, the Pickering, Ontario native reached 20 wins, including four in a row (Jan. 25–Feb. 14) during Danbury’s seven-game win streak. McCollum totaled the league’s second-most wins (22) behind Binghamton’s Connor McAnanama (30) and remains the all-time wins (46) and shutouts (4) leader in Hat Tricks history.
VASY A PRO HOCKEY VETERAN
Forward Aleksandr Vasilyev dominated in his first season in the FPHL, scoring 12 goals and picking up 37 assists in 35 games played. The 35-year-old from Elektrostal, Russia is one point away from reaching 50 as an FPHL rookie. Vasilyev has notched six goals and nine helpers in the nine games after his absence to boost the lineup offensively, including a season-high six at Mississippi (11-3W) on April 4.
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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.
Off the ice, the Hat Tricks are committed to fostering connections within the local community through outreach programs with schools, businesses and charities. By developing top-tier hockey talent and growing the sport in the region, the Hat Tricks aim to bring the community together and deliver entertainment that leaves a lasting impact.