BY: Casey Bryant, Danbury Hat Tricks
DANBURY, CT – The Danbury Hat Tricks just keep on rollin’.
A franchise-best win streak extended to seven as the Hat Tricks completed the sweep of the Delaware Thunder to the tune of a 5-4 final at the Danbury Ice Arena before 1,102 on Saturday night.
Like Friday night’s game between the same two teams, Danbury built a 2-0 lead on goals from Matyas Kasek at 6:01 and then Vladyslav Gavrik at 10:06 only to see the Thunder come roaring back to even up the score.
The Thunder got a goal from defensemen Charlie Pens, Jr. on the power play at 11:43 and then Kieran Devine knotted the score with an even-strength goal on a pass from Evgenii Devine at 12:35.
Cory Anderson would give the Hat Tricks back the lead at 3-2 with a tally at 15:02, but that lead only lasted 1:14 when a loose puck in front of Danbury’s net was poked home past starting netminder, Thomas McGuckin, by Brennan Young to knot the score again at 3.
9:43 into the second frame, newly-acquired, Wolcott, CT-native, Nick DiNicola continued his torrid streak, notching his fourth goal in his first two games with Danbury.
But the Thunder would not relent, as the team generated constant offensive zone pressure and sparked several breakaways and odd-man rushes that McGuckin was able to repel.
With 3:23 remaining in the second period, Ryan Marker poked a puck in the neutral zone ahead towards the Danbury net and raced to corral it. McGuckin aggressively skated out to the hash marks in an attempt to knock the puck away, but a nifty move by Marker deked the goalie, easily potting his 15th of the season.
The black-and-orange regrouped from the error, as Kasek got the puck to Thomas Freeman who toe-dragged the puck and finished a highlight-reel-like goal past Aaron Taylor to put the Hat Tricks back on top to stay at 5-4.
Danbury would control the pace of play in the third period, firing 19 shots in the final frame and 50 overall in the contest. The Thunder would have eight chances of their own, but could not find an equalizer that could get past McGuckin.
The Hat Tricks are firmly in second place in the Eastern Division (29 points) and nine total wins. They square off with the first-place Watertown Wolves in a critical showdown next weekend in a home-and-home set, playing in Watertown Friday night, and then at the Danbury Ice Arena on Saturday.
In his post-game press conference in acknowledgement of the team’s winning ways, head coach Billy McCreary was brief.
“We’re looking forward to next weekend,” he said with a wry smile.
