Game Preview: Hat Tricks vs. Motor City Rockers | Jan. 18, 2025

LAST TIME OUT

Five unanswered even strength goals in the game’s first 33 minutes got the Hat Tricks back in the win column with a 6-1 victory against the Rockers on Friday.

Noah Robinson scored two goals and had an assist and Billy Berry tallied a game-high four points (1g, 3a) as part of the Hat Tricks’ first win since Jan. 4, a 4-3 shootout victory over HC Venom. Danbury was unsuccessful on 10 power play chances and 5-for-6 on the penalty kill.

Chase Harwell, Berry and Robinson each scored in the first period before Cory Anderson added another just more than four minutes into the second. Zach Pamaylaon’s second goal of the season gave Danbury a 5-0 lead and Robinson buried one with less than one minute left.

Conor McCollum stopped 21 shots and held off the Rockers until Jameson Milam scored on the power play with 4:45 left in the second.

HEAD-TO-HEAD

Saturday’s matchup between the Hat Tricks and Rockers decides the winner of the season series which is tied at three games apiece. Danbury redeemed itself on Friday from a 7-6 home loss to Motor City on Dec. 20, when the Rockers posted six straight goals to rally from a 3-0 deficit.

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 game-winning goal in the third period.

Aleksandr Gamzatov has nine points (4g, 5a) in the teams’ first six matchups, and Noah Robinson has seven points (3g, 4a) in only three series contests.

For Motor City, Eli Rivers has totaled nine points (4g, 5a) in the series. TJ Sneath has provided three goals and four assists, but is sidelined on the 15-day IR.

ABOUT THE ROCKERS

Motor City enters tonight’s matchup fifth in the Empire Division. With 32 points this season, the Rockers have an 8-15-2-3 record following their third straight loss on Friday.

Motor City is seven points behind Danbury for fourth place and trails Binghamton by 36 for the top spot.

The Rockers have lost four of their last five games and look for their first series split since defeating Carolina, 3-1, on the road on Jan. 4. Motor City has allowed 29 combined goals in its last five losses.

Eli Rivers leads the Rockers in points (30), goals (15), and assists (15). Rivers has 14 points (5g, 9a) over his last 10 outings, despite being held scoreless on Friday.

Motor City’s power play is fifth in the FPHL (22.7%), scoring 22 goals — tied with Carolina for the eighth most in the league. Its penalty kill is fourth (83.6%) 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. Trevor Babin, who started Friday, has been in the net in three of the team’s past four games posting a .905 save percentage.

HAT TRICKS HEADLINES

The Hat Tricks wrap up the weekend with a chance to win their seven-game series versus Motor City and sweep the weekend for the third time this season. Danbury responded from its two road losses to Blue Ridge last weekend by allowing its fewest number of goals since defeating Elmira, 8-1, on April 7 of last season. The Hat Tricks also tied their season-low in shots allowed (22) in a game, having also held Binghamton to the same number in a 2-1 loss on Dec. 27 this season.

Danbury is 10-10-5-2 with 39 points, five behind Port Huron for third place in the Empire Division.

With 101 goals scored this season, the Hat Tricks average 3.74 per game. Six of their 10 regulation wins have been decided by three or more goals. 

The Hat Tricks have scored the FPHL’s sixth-most power play goals, with 25 (22.1%). Their penalty kill is tied with Mississippi for 12th (74.8%) in the FPHL, only ahead of the Dashers and HC Venom. Danbury is three goals behind Binghamton’s 10 shorthanded goals for the league’s most.

Chase Harwell and Gleb Bandurkin are tied for the team lead in goals with 12. Harwell has 27 points (12g, 15a) to lead the Hat Tricks, and Jacob Ratcliffe is the assists leader with 18 despite going scoreless in his previous five games.

LARGEST MARGIN OF VICTORY AT HOME THIS SEASON

The Hat Tricks scored five unanswered goals on Friday en route to their first five-goal win at home this season. Friday marked Danbury’s largest margin of victory since its first road win when it rattled off six consecutive goals against HC Venom (9-3 W) on Oct. 26. The Hat Tricks also recorded their most goals since taking down Watertown, 9-6, on Dec. 27.

HARWELL’S HOT STRETCH

Chase Harwell scored a goal and had an assist on Friday in his third multi-point game of 2025 and ninth of the season. The 28-year-old forward has logged three goals and five assists over the past five games, including one goal and four assists in Danbury’s weekend sweep over HC Venom (Jan. 3–4). Harwell has supplied 12 goals and 15 assists in his second season with the Hat Tricks.

A BERRY MEMORABLE NIGHT

Billy Berry had a season-high four points (1g, 3a) on Friday. Berry scored and had an assist on two of Danbury’s first three goals and notched a helper on Noah Robinson’s second goal of the game. Through eight games this season, the Redding, Conn., native has contributed two goals and five assists.

ANDO FINDS THE SCORESHEET

Forward Cory Anderson scored the fourth consecutive goal for the Hat Tricks on Friday, registering his first goal since Danbury’s 7-4 home win against Binghamton on Nov. 23. It was the 81st goal of the Bakersfield, Calif., native’s career, all with the Hat Tricks slotting him three points away from 100. Anderson has nine points (5g, 4a) in his third season with the Hat Tricks.

ROBO’S RIVETING PERFORMANCE

Noah Robinson totaled two goals and an assist on Friday, marking his first multi-goal outing with the Hat Tricks this season. The 24-year-old forward last netted multiple goals in a single game on Oct. 20 earlier this season for Monroe (6-5 SOW). Robinson has three multi-point outings with Danbury this season and has seven goals and 10 assists in 16 games.

HULLABY DEBUTS

Dylan Hullaby made his Hat Tricks debut on Friday, logging an assist to help lift Danbury to a 2-0 lead. A Columbia, Md., native, Hullaby, 23, arrived via trade from Monroe on Monday in exchange for cash considerations. Hullaby finished his 20-game tenure with the Moccasins with a goal and five assists.

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).