Game Preview: Hat Tricks vs. Motor City Rockers | Jan. 17, 2025

LAST TIME OUT

The Hat Tricks ended a two-game road series against Blue Ridge with their fourth shutout loss of the season, 6-0, on Saturday. The defeat marked Danbury’s first shutout loss on the road and second in the last five games.

Six different skaters scored for the Bobcats, who netted four goals in the second period. Andrew Uturo notched the opening and game-winning goal for the Bobcats 6:24 into the first.

Hunter Virostek made a career-high 44 saves and tallied his third career shutout.

Frankie McClendon had 31 saves in his first start since Dec. 27, a 9-6 home win against Watertown, and fell to 2-1-1.

Only five defensemen were available with Zach Pamaylaon scratched.

HEAD-TO-HEAD

The Hat Tricks trail the Rockers 3-2 in the season’s series, with each team winning one game at home and all but one contest being decided in regulation. Motor City won the previous game, 7-6, in Danbury on Dec. 20 as T.J. Sneath scored the game-winning goal with 12:49 left in regulation. The Rockers posted six unanswered goals to rally from a 3-0 deficit and Sneath tallied two goals and two assists.

On Dec. 6, the Hat Tricks took a 6-5 shootout loss to the Rockers on the road for their second shootout defeat this season. Danbury’s first win of the series was on Oct. 19 (6-2), the first of the Ruiz-Gonzalez coaching era. The Hat Tricks also won on Dec. 7 (3-2) at Motor City, thanks to Vadim Frolov’s goal in the third period.

Aleksandr Gamzatov has eight points (4g, 4a) and Gleb Bandurkin has seven points (3g, 4a) through the teams’ first five matchups.

For Motor City, Eli Rivers has totaled nine points (4g, 5a) in the series while Sneath has provided three goals and four assists.

The Hat Tricks and the Rockers will battle for the final time this season on Saturday in Danbury.

ABOUT THE ROCKERS

Motor City enters tonight’s matchup fifth in the Empire Division. With 32 points this season, the Rockers have an 8-14-2-3 record following their shootout loss to Binghamton on Saturday. Motor City is four points behind Danbury for fourth place and trails Binghamton by 33 points for the top spot.

The Rockers are looking to snap a two-game losing streak after taking their third series sweep this season against the Black Bears (5-4 SOL) on Jan. 11. Motor City has allowed 23 combined goals in its past four losses.

Eli Rivers leads the Rockers in points (30), goals (15), and assists (15). Rivers has 12 points (5g, 12a) over his last 10 outings.

Motor City’s power play ranks fifth in the FPHL (22.3%), scoring 21 goals — tied with Carolina for the eighth most in the league. Its penalty kill is sixth (82.5%) with 20 goals allowed. Goaltender Ricardo Gonzalez is 8-11-2 with a .918 save percentage, fifth best in the league, but has a 3.86 goals against average, the FPHL’s fourth highest among qualified goalies.

HAT TRICKS HEADLINES

The Hat Tricks host Motor City for two games this weekend and have dropped three of their last five games, including two shutout losses to Binghamton on Dec. 28 and Blue Ridge on Saturday.

Danbury starts the weekend at 9-10-5-2 with 36 points, five behind Port Huron for third place in the Empire Division.

With 95 goals scored this season, the sixth most in the league, the Hat Tricks average 3.65 per game. Five of Danbury’s nine regulation wins have been decided by three or more goals. 

The Hat Tricks have scored the FPHL’s fifth-most power play goals, with 25 (22.1%). Danbury is three shorthanded goals behind Binghamton’s 10 for the league’s most.

Chase Harwell and Aleksandr Gamzatov each have 11 goals and 14 assists for a team-high 25 points. Jacob Ratcliffe leads the Hat Tricks in assists with 18.

FOURTH SHUTOUT LOSS THIS SEASON

The Hat Tricks took their fourth shutout loss of the season and first on the road Saturday in Wytheville, Va. Danbury was shut out at home against Watertown (6-0) on Nov. 6 and twice versus Binghamton on Nov. 16 (4-0) and on Dec. 28 (5-0). Prior to this season, the Hat Tricks had been shut out five other times in franchise history and just once on home ice (April 6, 2022 vs. Watertown, 3-0).

SLOW STARTS

In four of the last five games, Danbury has not scored in the first period, having only done so at home against HC Venom on Jan. 3. Gleb Bandurkin and Chase Harwell scored back-to-back late in Friday’s 5-3 loss at Blue Ridge, and a 6-0 loss on Saturday moved the Hat Tricks to 1-6-2-0 when trailing after the first and 0-10-0-1 when down after two. Despite the poor starts, the Hat Tricks still clawed back from a pair of 2-0 deficits against HC Venom on Jan. 3–4 and won both games.

DUO’S DOMINANT MONTH

Co-head coach Jonny Ruiz and Chase Harwell have begun January with a combined 10 points (6g, 4a) through four games. The two forwards each had a three-game point streak entering Saturday with Ruiz scoring four goals and Harwell adding two goals and four assists. Ruiz has goals in three of his last four games (4) while Harwell has tallied nine points (3g, 6a) over his previous six contests.

NEW FORWARD ARRIVES IN TRADE, ROTTKE OUT

Danbury acquired forward Dylan Hullaby from Monroe on Monday for cash considerations. The 23-year-old suited up in 20 games for the Mocassins, totaling one goal and five assists. The 6-foot-5 winger started his professional career last season with the Oxford City Stars (NIHL 1), posting 20 points (9g, 11a) in 24 contests. Defenseman Jeremy Rottke will miss the rest of the season due to injury after totaling two goals and four assists in 14 games in Danbury.

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).