Game Preview: Hat Tricks vs. Watertown Wolves | April 12, 2025

Game Materials Here

LAST TIME OUT

The Hat Tricks dropped their final road game of the regular season to the Black Bears, 6-2, on Friday to finish the season series 1-8-1-1. Despite taking a 1-0 lead on Josh Newberg’s second goal of the season at 4:44 of the first period, Danbury never led again. Binghamton’s CJ Stubbs tied the game at 13:01 and Jesse Anderson scored back-to-back goals within four minutes for a 3-1 Black Bears lead.

Chase Harwell scored on the power play, his eighth on the man advantage this season, at 10:29 of the second to bring Danbury to within one.

Binghamton countered with three unanswered goals to finish the contest, starting with Tyson Kirkby’s 22 seconds after the Harwell score. Gavin Yates and Donald Olivieri found the back of the net in the third at 2:08 and 17:13.

Danbury’s penalty kill held clear in all six opportunities, while the power play unit was 1-for-6. The Hat Tricks were outshot, 43-23, however.

HEAD-TO-HEAD

The Hat Tricks and the Wolves duel for the 11th and final time this season. It is the fourth and final game Danbury hosts in the series as it tries to win its third straight on home ice. The Hat Tricks and the Wolves each hold five wins against one another, despite Watertown taking the first four games.

The two sides last met on March 13 in Watertown, N.Y., and Danbury won, 5-2, scoring five unanswered goals to close out the game. Chase Harwell scored the game-winning goal at 9:02 of the third period. Jacob Ratcliffe, Gleb Bandurkin, and Connor Woolley each scored as part of a four-goal third period.

In the season series, the Hat Tricks are 4-1-4-1. Their first victory against the Wolves came on Dec. 27 (9-6W) at home as Danbury erupted for four goals in the second period and cashed in on all three power play opportunities. The Hat Tricks broke a 6-6 tie in the third with three consecutive goals, two from Bandurkin, to finish the contest. On Jan. 25, Danbury rebounded from a 5-4 overtime loss at Watertown the day before and scored four times in the first toward a 9-3 home win.

Connor Woolley has three goals and five assists to pace the Hat Tricks in the season series, while Conor McCollum is 3-1-3 with a .904 save percentage. Frankie McClendon is 2-0-1 with a .898 save percentage.

For Watertown, Trevor Lord has eight goals and seven assists, while goalie Breandan Colgan gave up four goals on 49 shots faced for the loss in his series debut on March 13.

ABOUT THE WOLVES

Watertown enters tonight’s matchup in fourth place in the Empire Division with the first of two wild card spots clinched. With 83 points (23-22-4-5), the Wolves conclude their regular season slate on Saturday after their matchup at HC Venom on Sunday was canceled.

Watertown is set to host fifth-seeded Motor City in a play-in game on Tuesday and, with a win, would face Binghamton in the Empire Division Semifinals next weekend.

Losing a heartbreaker to HC Venom at home on Friday, the Wolves blew a 3-2 lead at 4:57 of the third and went 0-for-2 in a shootout to fall, 4-3. Watertown overcame a two-goal first-period deficit with three unanswered goals in the second before losing the lead early in the third period.

Watertown’s three-in-three at Baton Rouge last weekend didn’t help their chances of avoiding the wild card, tallying only three points in the middle game (7-3W) in a series that reflected defensive concerns. Allowing 14 combined goals on the weekend, the Wolves dropped the opener (5-3L) on April 4 and, in a 6-5 loss on April 6, squandered a 5-3 lead late in the second before allowing the game-winner midway through the third.

The Wolves had a rollercoaster-like regular season, beginning the campaign 9-3-2-1 before struggling across their next 15 games (4-9-0-2). The Wolves started the month of February with five wins in a row. But Watertown finished March 4-6-1-0, including two losses in a row to both Danbury at home on Feb. 21 (4-2L) and on Feb. 23 (4-3L) and two on the road to Port Huron on March 7 (3-2L) and Motor City (3-2L), eroding their chances of passing Port Huron for third place.

Watertown is led by Trevor Lord, who has 85 points (38g, 47a) in 52 games and brings in a four-game point streak (4-5-9). Lord leads the Wolves in goals and Trevor Grasby is the team’s assists leader, with 66.

Breandan Colgan is 3-4 in the net with a 3.85 GAA since debuting for Watertown on March 2 (5-2W) and is 17-13-3 this season, including two shutouts.

HAT TRICKS HEADLINES

The Hat Tricks return to Danbury for their regular season finale against the Wolves with a 15-7-3-2 record on home ice this season. Danbury was last at home against Binghamton (5-2L) on March 29 and has the chance to win its first home game since defeating the Dashers, 6-3, on March 22 as part of a weekend sweep. The Hat Tricks can secure 100 points for the third time in the last four years and the first time since their 2022-23 Commissioner’s Cup campaign. 

The Hat Tricks will begin their 2025 Commissioner’s Cup playoff run on Friday at Port Huron before hosting the Prowlers next Saturday, April 19 in the second game of its quarterfinal series. Danbury won its season series with Port Huron, 5-2 (3-1-1-2).

Danbury has won 21 of its last 29 games, dating back to a home win over Motor City (6-1W) on Jan. 17, and has averaged 5.4 goals per contest in its last eight games (5-3).

Entering their final matchup with Watertown this season, the Hat Tricks are 27-15-8-5 (99 points) and have points in 24 of their last 29 games, in addition to the Empire Division’s second-best goal differential (+51). 

Danbury’s power play is third (24.7%) in the FPHL with 53 goals for the third most. On the penalty kill, the Hat Tricks rank 11th (79%) and have allowed 47, a tie with Watertown for the league’s fifth most. Despite the high number of power play goals allowed, the kill has been sterling during the last nine contests, standing at 35-for-40 (87.5%) and is 92-for-104 (88.4%) across the last 23. The Hat Tricks have scored 12 shorthanded goals, five behind Binghamton for the league lead.

Gleb Bandurkin leads the Hat Tricks in points (63) and goals (32). Jacob Ratcliffe is the team’s assists leader, with 38, one ahead of Aleksandr Vasilyev.

Co-head coach and captain Jonny Ruiz is tied with Watertown’s Trevor Lord for the FPHL lead in shorthanded goals (5).

HARWELL’S STRONG SEASON CONTINUES

Forward Chase Harwell scored on the power play on Friday, marking his eighth on the man advantage this season, to extend his point streak to three games (2-1-3). The Southbury, Conn., native has scored nine goals in his last eight outings, including his first-career hat trick against the Dashers (9-0W) on March 21. Harwell is two goals shy of reaching 30 this season and has four shorthanded next to a single-season-high 26 assists.

NEWBERG’S MEMORABLE NIGHT IN BINGO

Josh Newberg scored his second goal of the season in his 300th professional game on Friday. The 38-year-old of Cranford, N.J., played two seasons for Binghamton (2021-23), totaling 33 goals, 55 assists, and 143 penalty minutes in 103 outings. Newberg is now in his second stint with the Hat Tricks, having spent six games in Danbury in the 2019-20 season, and holds two goals and six assists in 21 appearances this season.

RATCLIFFE RAMPING IT UP

Forward Jacob Ratcliffe tallied an assist on Friday, extending his point streak (2-2-4) to three games. The Canterbury, New Zealand, native posted his 15th multi-point performance of the season three games ago at Mississippi (11-3W) and is just one goal from breaking his single-season-best (16). Ratcliffe has 53 points (15g, 38a) and three game-winning goals in his third Hat Tricks season. 

ANDO ADDS ANOTHER POINT

Forward Cory Anderson notched an assist on Friday, lengthening his point streak (3-1-4) to three games. The 31-year-old of Bakersfield, Calif., has netted three combined goals over his past three outings and five in his last five. Anderson’s three power play goals and +9 (16-15-31) have boosted the Hat Tricks offensively down the stretch of the second half of the season.

VETERANS EYE CAREER MILESTONES

Swiss-Army knife Zach Pamaylaon picked up an assist at Mississippi on April 5 for the fourth in his last seven games. The third-year Hat Trick from Aiea, Hawaii, is now just one assist away from 50 in his FPHL career, which began with 17 during Danbury’s first Commissioner’s Cup run in the 2022-23 season. Defenseman Josh Labelle is three games away from his 200th in the FPHL and has turned in his best of four seasons played. The Mississauga, Ontario, native has totaled a single-season-high 46 points (10g, 36a) through 55 outings in his second year with Danbury, while Pamaylaon has logged five goals and 16 helpers in 48 games this season.

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.

The 2025 Commissioner's Cup Playoffs are here and tickets are on sale now! Lock in your seats for the full playoff run and save. A comprehensive postseason package is just $72—only $12 per ticket, a 35% discount. If any games are not played, you will receive a refund or a credit for the 2025-26 season. To purchase a playoff package, email herm@danburyhattricks.com or call 973-713-7547. Single-game tickets are also available through 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).