Game Preview: Hat Tricks vs. Port Huron Prowlers | Feb. 22, 2025

LAST TIME OUT

Gleb Bandurkin’s second hat trick of the season drove the Hat Tricks to a 4-2 road win over Watertown on Friday. Bandurkin scored the go-ahead goal 4:17 into the first period and netted Danbury’s first three goals seven minutes into the second.

Jacob Ratcliffe also scored an insurance goal with 3:20 left in the middle frame while Jonny Ruiz notched his 300th point with the Hat Tricks with the assist. Ratcliffe tallied a goal and an assist and Vadim Frolov had two helpers.

Watertown trimmed the lead to two on Carter Thornton’s goal with 8:40 to go.

The win gave the Hat Tricks their first in Watertown this season (1-0-4) and improved to 3-1-4 in the season series.

HEAD-TO-HEAD

The Hat Tricks host the Prowlers one game this weekend marking the fifth of seven meetings this season. The Hat Tricks lead the series, 3-1.

Prior to Saturday, the two sides split a two-game set in Port Huron, Mich., last weekend. Danbury won the first game, 7-2, featuring Vadim Frolov’s first-career hat trick but dropped the following contest, 4-2. In the first two battles of the season series on Nov. 29–30, the Hat Tricks swept the weekend scoring 10 combined goals. Aleksandr Vasilyev posted his first game-winner of the season on the power play, lifting Danbury to the sweep (Nov. 30).

Connor Woolley holds four goals and three assists while Vadim Frolov has four goals and two helpers. Frolov’s line with Gleb Bandurkin and Vasilyev was the best for the Hat Tricks in Port Huron last weekend, tallying a combined 11 points (4g, 7a).

The Hat Tricks and Prowlers meet in three of Danbury's next four games, all at the Danbury Ice Arena, after playing twice last weekend.

In three starts against Port Huron, Conor McCollum is 2-1 and has a .921 save percentage.

For Port Huron, center Joel Frazee leads the season series with three goals. Former Danbury Titans forward Matt Graham has totaled a goal and three assists in four contests.

Valtteri Nousiainen has a .835 save percentage and is 0-2 in two appearances while Reid Cooper is 1-1 in two starts (.899) including a 32-save win the last time the teams met (Feb. 15).

ABOUT THE PROWLERS

Port Huron enters tonight’s matchup in fourth place in the Empire Division. With 60 points (16-16-4-1-3), the Prowlers stand two behind Watertown for third despite holding four games in hand on the Wolves. Port Huron is five points behind Danbury for second and trails Binghamton by 51 for the top spot.

The Prowlers fell to HC Venom, 3-2, in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., to begin their four-game east coast road trip on Friday and have lost four of their last five games. Port Huron fell out of third place last weekend after entering the final weekend of January in second, five points ahead of Danbury.

Despite the Prowlers sweeping five weekend series this season, they have either split or taken sweeps in three of their last four weekends.

The Prowlers started the season 4-6-3-2 and have gone 12-10-1-2 since, including two wins against top-seeded Binghamton, 5-3 on the road (Dec. 6) and 8-6 at home (Jan. 4), and two series sweeps over the Dashers and Mississippi.

Port Huron’s power play is 11th in the FPHL (18.5%) and has scored the sixth-most goals (33). Its penalty kill (80.6%) has allowed the fourth-most goals (34).

Defenseman Alex Johnson leads the Prowlers in points (46), goals (15) and assists (31) and is second on the team in power play goals (5) behind Joel Frazee (6).

Left winger Tucker Scantlebury has been on loan to the Knoxville Ice Bears (SPHL) since Feb. 13 and has one assist in four outings.

HAT TRICKS HEADLINES

Danbury has won eight of its last nine games, 12 of its last 16, and has points in 11 of the last 12 outings. Saturday’s home game is the first for the Hat Tricks since their two-game sweep over the Dashers on Feb. 8. Following a second game in Watertown, N.Y., this weekend on Sunday, they will return to Danbury on Feb. 28 to begin a two-game set versus Port Huron.

The Hat Tricks turned in their first road win against the Wolves this season on Friday, improving to 3-1-4 against Watertown. With 67 points in the first 38 games of the Ruiz-Gonzalez coaching era, Danbury has pulled ahead of Watertown by five points for second place in the Empire Division.

At 19-11-6-2 through the first 38 games of the Ruiz-Gonzalez coaching era, the Hat Tricks hold a five-point lead for second place in the Empire Division into the second of three contests this weekend. A win against the Prowlers would put the Hat Tricks ahead 4-1 in the season series.

On the power play, Danbury has performed highly across the last eight games, scoring 13 combined goals despite going just 1 for its last 16 (6.3%). The Hat Tricks have the second-ranked power play in the FPHL (25.2%) and have tallied the third-most power play goals (39).

Danbury’s penalty kill (77.4) is 10th and has allowed the league’s third-most goals (36), but is 25-for-26 (96.2%) over its previous six games and 19-for-21 (90.4%) against the Prowlers this season.

BANDURKIN BRILLIANCE TAKES WATERTOWN

Rookie winger Gleb Bandurkin registered his second-career hat trick in Danbury’s first road win against Watertown this season. It was the second hat trick in the past seven outings for the 24-year-old of Moscow, Russia, who also marked the third hat trick for Danbury this season. Bandurkin has three multi-goal outings over that span and 22 points in his past 10 games (12g, 10a).

VADIM + VASY = POINTS

The combination of Vadim Frolov (6-11-17) and Aleksandr Vasilyev (14a) has accounted for 31 points over the last eight games. Both Frolov, 21, and Vasilyev, 35, posted two assists on Friday in the 4-2 win over Watertown and both have 31 points this season, Frolov in 36 games and Vasilyev through 23 contests.

RED HOT RATCLIFFE

Jacob Ratcliffe notched a goal and an assist on Friday in Watertown. The third-year forward has netted goals in five of his last six games (5). Over the previous seven outings, the winger played in his 100th FPHL game (Feb. 14) and registered 13 points (5g, 8a) with four multi-point performances. The Canterbury, New Zealand native is three points away from 100 in his Hat Tricks career.

O CAPTAIN! MY CAPTAIN!

Co-head coach and captain Jonny Ruiz reached the 300-point plateau as a Hat Trick on Saturday, becoming the first skater in franchise history to cross 300 (161g, 139a). The 31-year-old winger is the Hat Tricks’ all-time leader in goals (161), points (300) and games played (230). Ruiz is one of three Danbury points producers to have crossed triple digits, 178 ahead of Dmitry Kuznetsov. Ruiz made his return to the lineup on Friday after not appearing since Feb. 1 against HC Venom (10-4W). 

PENALTY KILL'S PROGRESS

The Hat Tricks penalty kill delivered on both of its opportunities at Watertown on Friday, remaining perfect for the fifth time in the last six games (25-for-26). In its previous nine contests, Danbury’s kill is 46 for its last 56 (82.1%), including a combined 8-for-10 mark in two games against the Wolves, the FPHL’s second-leading team on the power play this season (40). Last season, the Hat Tricks had the fifth-ranked PK (80.9%) in the league.

 HAPPY ON HOME ICE

The Hat Tricks have won seven straight contests at the Danbury Ice Arena. Including two of HC Venom’s home games played in Danbury (Jan. 4, 4-3 SOW & Jan 31, 7-2 W), the Hat Tricks have won nine in a row on home ice. Before the Hat Tricks’ latest dominance at home, they began the season 4-6-1 in their barn, despite a 7-4 win against top-seeded Binghamton (Nov. 23) and a 9-6 victory over Watertown on Dec. 27. Danbury captured an above-.500 record at home on Jan. 18 against Motor City and is 11-6-1-0.

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).