The Danbury Hat Tricks got back in the win column at home, as they defeated the New Hampshire Mountain Kings 7-4 at the Danbury Ice Arena on Friday Night.
Ty Ferguson got the start once again for the Hat Tricks, and it was Matthew Smith Jr. for the Mountain Kings.
Danbury got off to a hot start, a bouncing puck in front, and Deimantas Sulinskas whacked it home for his first goal of the season.
The Hat Tricks came out physical, which was something that they keyed on a lot this week in practice.
“There was less emphasis this week on systems, because I feel like we were really heavy on them at the start of the season, making sure guys have that understanding and foundation, and after Elmira I realized we have to be heavier in battles and stronger; we saw that today, which we were really happy with,” said Head Coach Adam Dauda
Gus Rabe just a few minutes later sniped past Smith Jr. to extend the lead to 2-0 for his seventh of the season.
Just after the media timeout, the Hat Tricks struck again, this time on the Power Play as Simon Wang put home his first goal as a Hat Trick on a feed from Brent Beswick. Danbury took the 3-0 lead into the intermission, frustrating the Mountain Kings.
In the second, Will Croneberger ripped one home off of a drop from Sulinskas to make it 4-0, but the Mountain Kings would strike twice to make it 4-2.
Late in the period, Rabe dug his way to the front of the net and put the puck into the back of the net, giving the Hat Tricks a 5-3 lead into the third.
New Hampshire made it interesting with an early goals to make it 5-4, but the Hat Tricks held strong late.
Tucker Mears would hound the puck and force a New Hampshire mistake, and saw the puck go over the line for his first NAHL goal.
“It wasn’t a pretty one, but it got the job done,” Mears said postgame.
Tristan Konobelj got back in the score sheet a few minutes later with a goal, the assist coming from Stamford Native Tommy Drienik for his first NAHL point.
Danbury went 1/4 on the Power Play and 3/3 on the Penalty Kill, including killing off a huge 5-minute major in the second.
Ferguson made 31 saves for the Hat Tricks, who themselves put on 36 shots on both New Hampshire netminders.
Both teams are back at it tomorrow at 7:00. Tickets are $10 at the door. If you can’t make it, you can catch all the action on NAHLTV with Christian Gardecki.
About the Hat Tricks
The Danbury Hat Tricks are the Premier Junior Hockey program in the state of Connecticut, playing in the Tier 2 North American Hockey League. The Hat Tricks organization has sent countless players to Pro, NCAA D1, D3, and major junior hockey. Notable alumni include 2024-25 Hat Trick and Redding Native Niko Tournas (Moncton, QMJHL), 2021-22 Hat Trick Patriks Berzins (St. Cloud State, NCHC, D1), 2025-26 Hat Trick Patrik Ula (Sudbury, OHL), and many more.