Game Recap: Hat Tricks Fall 4-2 in Sunday Matinee Against Elmira

DANBURY — The River Sharks buried four unanswered goals, rallying from two down in the first period, in a 4-2 win over the Hat Tricks on Sunday. Danbury scored mid-way through the opening frame to extend its lead to two but did not beat Elmira netminder Sammy Bernard again in the final 50 minutes of regulation. Bernard made 60 saves while Hat Tricks goaltender Conor McCollum stopped 50 of 53 shots.

At 2:09 of the opening frame, assistant captain Daniel McKitrick, in his 100th FPHL game, flipped the puck over Bernard’s shoulder to put the Hat Tricks on the board early. Danbury took a 2-0 advantage, after a power play strike from Corey Cunningham on a tic-tac-toe play in front. Cunningham snapped the puck into the top right corner from the bottom of the left circle to notch his first goal since Feb. 17.

The River Sharks went 39 minutes without scoring until Steven Klinck fired a one-time shot from the left circle into the back of the net to cut the lead to one with 58 seconds remaining in the third period.

5:11 into the third, Elijah Wilson elevated the puck over the shoulder of McCollum to knot the game at two. At 14:26, Elmira jumped out to its first lead of the afternoon when McCollum lost sight of a point shot that hit a mound of bodies and Dominic Dumas tapped it in. With just over a minute left, Elmira added salt to the wound with an empty-netter sent in by Klinck for his second of the game.

Danbury outshot Elmira 62-53 but came up short in its third consecutive Sunday loss.

The Hat Tricks finish off their nine-game homestand on Friday against Elmira. Puck drop is set for 7:30 p.m.

The Hat Tricks are in a playoff push and we want you to be a part of it! Playoff tickets go on sale soon but season and single-game tickets are still available for purchase. Partial season packages can save fans up to 30% and include benefits such as FREE parking and season passes to the Danbury NAHL/NA3HL Hat Tricks games. Call Herm Sorcher at (973) 713-7547 to secure yours today or press here to learn more. To buy single-game tickets press here.

To stay up to date on all things Danbury Hat Tricks hockey, go to www.danburyhattricks.com and follow the team on social media.