Game Preview: Hat Tricks at Port Huron Prowlers | Feb. 15, 2025

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LAST TIME OUT

The Hat Tricks scored five unanswered goals to defeat Port Huron, 7-2, on Friday extending their season-best point streak to 10 games (9-0-1) and win streak to seven games. Vadim Frolov registered his first career hat trick and Danbury’s second of the season.

Co-head coach and alternate captain Kyle Gonzalez netted his first game-winning goal of the season.

Gleb Bandurkin gave the Hat Tricks their first lead of the contest with a shorthanded goal at 8:49 of the second with his team-high 21st goal this season.

Jacob Ratcliffe scored Danbury’s only power play goal with 3:39 left in the game. Cory Anderson added an empty net goal and Frolov scored his third with three seconds left.

HEAD-TO-HEAD

The Hat Tricks battle the Prowlers in the fourth of seven meetings this season on Saturday. Danbury leads the season series 3-0. Before this weekend, the two teams last met for a two-game series in Port Huron, Mich., on Nov. 29–30.

Danbury won the first game, 5-4, on Gleb Bandurkin’s game-winning goal in the third period (5:00). The series’ second contest also went to the Hat Tricks, 5-2, thanks to co-head coach Jonny Ruiz’s four points (1g, 3a) and Aleksandr Vasilyev’s first game-winner of the season on the power play.

Vadim Frolov leads the series for Danbury with four goals and two assists. Gleb Bandurkin has also contributed two goals and three helpers.

Center Joel Frazee has three goals to pace the Prowlers. Tucker Scantlebury had two goals in the first two games against the Hat Tricks but was loaned to the Knoxville Ice Bears (SPHL) on Feb. 13.

The Hat Tricks will meet up with the Prowlers four more times over their next six games. Danbury hosts the final three games of the season series on Feb. 22, Feb. 28, and March 1. 

ABOUT THE PROWLERS

Port Huron enters tonight’s matchup in fourth place in the Empire Division. With 57 points, the Prowlers (15-15-4-1-3) are two behind Watertown for third place and trail Binghamton by 38 for the top spot in the division. They trail the Hat Tricks by seven points for second place.

The Prowlers were swept last weekend by Carolina at home with their three-game win streak ending on Friday (5-3L)allowing 14 combined goals in those games.

Port Huron has dropped three straight contests for the first time since its road loss to Monroe (3-2L) on Nov. 23.

Port Huron’s power play (19.2%) has logged 33 goals, the sixth most in the FPHL. The Prowlers’ penalty kill is eighth (80.6%) and has allowed the league’s fifth-most goals (33). The Prowlers are the most penalized team in the league (865 PIM) averaging 22.76 minutes per game. Joel Frazee leads Port Huron in power play goals with six and is tied with Chase Harwell for the fifth-most in the league.

Alex Johnson leads Port Huron in points (43), goals (14), and assists (29). The defenseman last tallied an assist four games ago (Feb. 1) in a 6-1 road win over the Dashers. Tucker Scantlebury, who was loaned to the SPHL on Thursday, was the Prowlers’ leading goal scorer (17) and paced the group with five game-winning goals.

HAT TRICKS HEADLINES

The Hat Tricks have won seven games in a row for the first time since the second game of their Empire Division Semifinal battle against the Elmira Mammoth on April 22, 2023, and carry a 10-game point streak (9-0-1) into this weekend. With a win in Port Huron on Saturday, Danbury would sweep its sixth weekend series of the season and the most in the regular season since the 2022-23 campaign (15).

Danbury’s three-game road trip wraps up on Friday at Watertown. It will search for its first road win against the Wolves this season. On the road this season, the Hat Tricks are 7-4-5-2 and winners of three straight in opponent barns. The Hat Tricks are on their first three-game road trip since playing five straight away from home from Nov. 27 to Dec. 7 (3-1-1).

Despite standing in fourth place in the Empire Division on Jan. 31, Danbury has surpassed both Port Huron and Watertown for second from sweeping Motor City, HC Venom, and the Dashers last weekend.

Scoring barrages have been a major factor for Danbury in its season-best seven-game win streak, as the Hat Tricks are 12-4-0 in contests decided by three or more goals. Six of their past seven victories have been decided by three or more goals.

The Hat Tricks power play is 14-for-31 (45%) during its win streak and ranks second in the FPHL (25.3%) with 39 goals.Their penalty kill has allowed the fourth-most goals (36) but is 15 for its last 16 (93.8%) and 51 for its past 60 (85%) over an 11-game stretch.

Gleb Bandurkin leads the team with 41 points, 21 goals, and a +21 rating while Josh Labelle has a team-high 28 assists.

COMEBACK CREW STRIKES AGAIN

Friday’s 7-2 win over the Prowlers marked Danbury’s 10th come-from-behind victory of the season. Trailing 1-0 at 6:26 of the second period, the Hat Tricks netted back-to-back goals for a 2-1 lead. Vadim Frolov and Gleb Bandurkin scored the Hat Tricks’ first two goals of the game for a comeback that took 1:59 in the fifth straight game Danbury surged out of an early deficit to win. The Hat Tricks would give up the tying goal with 26 seconds left in the second period before potting five straight goals to finish the game.

VADIM THE DREAM

Vadim Frolov posted his first-career hat trick on Friday burying his third goal of the game on a breakaway with three seconds remaining. The 21-year-old rookie winger registered Danbury’s second hat trick of the season, only four games after Gleb Bandurkin turned in one against HC Venom (10-4W) at home on Feb. 1. Frolov has tallied nine points (5g, 5a) over his last three games, eight goals over his previous seven games, and has 16 goals for the second most on the team, five behind Bandurkin.

BANDURKIN'S BRILLIANCE

Gleb Bandurkin scored on Friday, marking his team-high 21st goal of the season and Danbury’s eighth shorthanded goal. The rookie forward notched the first shorty for the Hat Tricks since Jonny Ruiz’s 13 games ago on Jan. 4 against HC Venom (4-3SOW). The Hat Tricks trail only Binghamton (13) for the FPHL lead. The Russian center holds an eight-game point streak (9-10-19) with goals in three straight outings (4).

VASILYEV PLAYS SET UP MAN

Aleksandr Vasilyev supplied three assists on Friday, extending his point streak (0-12-12) to six games. It was the second time in the last six outings the 35-year-old recorded three assists. Vasilyev has nine multi-point outings this season, including the Hat Tricks’ 5-2 road win over Port Huron on Nov. 30, when he scored the game-winning goal.

RATCLIFFE’S ROLLING

Jacob Ratcliffe buried Danbury’s lone power play goals on Friday in a 7-2 win over the Prowlers. The third-year forward has netted goals in four straight games including the game-winners on Feb. 7-8 against the Dashers HC. The Canterbury, New Zealand, native is riding a five-game point streak (4-7-11) with three multi-point outings during that span. Ratty is slated to play in his 100th FPHL game on Saturday in Port Huron and is just five points away from 100 (31g, 64a).

PENALTY KILL'S PROGRESS

The Hat Tricks killed off four penalties on Friday, marking the second time in the last three games they went 4-for-4, also doing so against the Dashers on Feb. 7 (5-2W). Danbury has killed off 15 of the last 16 power plays against and is 39 for its last 48 (81.3%) in its previous seven games. Last season, the Hat Tricks had the fifth-ranked PK (80.9%) in the league.

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.

Danbury Hat Tricks single-game tickets and full/partial season membership plans are still available for purchase. If you are interested, email herm@danburyhattricks.com or go to Tixr.

To stay up to date on all things Danbury Hat Tricks hockey, go to danburyhattricks.com and follow the team on Facebook, Instagram, X, and TikTok (@DanburyHatTricks).