The Danbury Hat Tricks travel to the Middletown Sports Complex tonight to face off against the New Jersey Titans at 7:00 PM. This marks the first meeting of the season between the two East Division rivals.
Series Overview
Tonight’s contest is the first of six scheduled matchups between the Hat Tricks and Titans this season. The teams will meet again for a three-game stretch in late January (Jan. 23–24 in New Jersey and Jan. 28 in Danbury) before closing out the series with two more games — Feb. 25 in Danbury and Mar. 24 in Middletown.
Last season, the Titans swept all six meetings against the Hat Tricks, outscoring Danbury by a combined 29–16 margin.
New Jersey Titans Outlook
The Titans enter tonight’s game sitting fourth in the East Division with an 8–5–1–2 record (19 points), ranking 11th overall in the NAHL standings. New Jersey was swept last weekend on the road by the Northeast Generals, falling 3–2 and 7–2, but has won six of its last ten games overall.
Offensively, the Titans have scored 48 goals (19th in the league) and allowed 46 (10th fewest). Their power play has converted at 23.4% (11th in the league), while their penalty kill has struggled at 65.79% (33rd overall). The team has notched 11 power-play goals and one shorthanded tally this season.
Forward Blake Jones leads New Jersey with 24 points (2 goals, 22 assists), while Kristofers Kummers, Tate Pecknold, and Skogen Schrott share the team lead with six goals apiece. Schrott also tops the team with 42 penalty minutes and a +7 rating, tied with Nikolas Doumas and Luke Schoen.
Between the pipes, New Jersey’s goaltending tandem has combined for a 2.47 goals-against average and a .916 save percentage, including one shutout by Andrei Nikolaev. Tyler Rounds leads the team in GAA (2.28) and save percentage (.920), while Nikolaev has a team-best five wins.
Danbury Hat Tricks Outlook
The Hat Tricks enter tonight’s matchup in fifth place in the East Division with an 8–7–1–2 record (19 points), just one spot behind the Titans and ranking 12th in the NAHL overall. Danbury is coming off a home split against the division-leading Maryland Black Bears — falling 5–4 on Saturday before rebounding with a decisive 6–3 win on Sunday.
Offensively, the Hat Tricks have produced 58 goals (10th in the league) but have allowed 61 (fifth most). Their power play sits at 14.29% (29th), while the penalty kill ranks 12th at 81.67%. Danbury has scored eight power-play goals and three shorthanded goals this season.
Kai Elkie leads the team with 18 points (5 goals, 13 assists), while Matt Shpungin paces the squad with six goals. Luke Melnik has tallied two game-winning goals, and both Ludovick Gauvin and Gavin O’Hara share a team-best +4 rating. Josh Williams leads Danbury with 40 penalty minutes.
In net, the Hat Tricks’ goaltenders have combined for a 3.15 GAA and a .896 save percentage with one shutout (recorded by Luke Brassil). Jon Dukaric leads the team with five wins, Brassil owns a team-best 2.65 GAA, and Parker Stockseth holds the best save percentage at .916.
What’s Next
After tonight’s matchup in Middletown, the Hat Tricks will enjoy a weekend off before returning home to the Danbury Ice Arena on November 14–15 for Military Appreciation Weekend against the Northeast Generals.
