Game Recap: Hat Tricks Shutdown Motor City's Encore Saturday Night in Danbury

DANBURY — A late third period goal from forward Nick DiNicola propelled the Hat Tricks over the Rockers 5-3 on Saturday night. With the win, the Hat Tricks split the weekend and season series with Motor City while snapping their four-game losing streak. 

With a little more than five minutes remaining in the third, DiNicola snuck behind the Motor City defense and was sprung on a breakaway with the lead on his stick. The Hat Tricks leading goal scorer went near side off the right post to put the Hat Tricks in the lead. Danbury added an empty netter at 20:00 to ice the victory.

In the first period, both sides found the back of the net twice. Motor City struck first with two goals in a two-minute span. Forwards Jonathan Juliano, at 6:02, and Brad Reitter 1:20 later gave the Rockers a 2-0 advantage. The Hat Tricks answered back with two of their own a few minutes later. Captain Jonny Ruiz scored shorthanded at 11:04 while forward Brandon Stojcevski snapped home a breakaway score at 13:43.

The second period ended in a 3-3 tie after Pavel Svintsov of the Rockers tallied a short-handed goal at 11:27. But just 46 seconds later, Danbury forward Daniel McKitrick tied the game at three from a sharp angle.

Hat Tricks outscored the Rockers 2-0 in the third to secure the win.

The Hat Tricks improve to 7-7-1-1 this season and 5-1 against Motor City all-time. The Hat Tricks finish up their three-game homestand Saturday night, Dec. 9 when Watertown comes to Danbury. 

The Hat Tricks' cup defense is underway and we want you to be a part of it! Season and single-game tickets are available for purchase. Full and 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.