Hat Tricks Take Game 1 Behind Dukaric’s Historic Shutout
Jon Dukaric delivered a performance for the ages, stopping all 51 shots he faced to power the Danbury Hat Tricks to a 3–0 victory over the New Jersey Titans in Game 1 of their best-of-three playoff series.
With the win, the Hat Tricks take a 1–0 series lead in their first-ever appearance in the Robertson Cup Playoffs.
Matt Dabrowski, Ben Dempster, and Lukas Zimovcak each scored for Danbury, providing all the offense Dukaric would need in a statement opening to the postseason.
Dabrowski broke the ice late in the first period, capitalizing on a rebound off the end boards behind the Titans net. Gathering the puck, he quickly turned and fired a shot past goaltender Andrew Bely with 4:40 remaining to give Danbury a 1–0 lead.
The Hat Tricks extended their advantage in the second period following a successful penalty kill. After the puck was dumped into the offensive zone, Willem Kerr tracked it down along the wall and fed Dempster in the slot. Dempster made no mistake, beating Bely with 5:34 left in the frame to double the lead.
Zimovcak capped the scoring in the third, redirecting a cross-ice pass from Tanner Terranova through the slot and past Bely to make it 3–0.
From there, Dukaric took over.
The netminder turned aside all 51 shots he faced, including a number of grade-A chances—particularly in the third period—as the Titans pushed to get back into the game. Danbury’s defense played a key role as well, limiting second opportunities and clearing the front of the net.
Bely finished with 21 saves on 24 shots in the loss.
Game 2 of the series is set for Saturday at 5:00 PM.