Danbury, CT | Patrick Frenette
The Hat Tricks completed a third-period comeback from two Niko Tournas goals along with a goal from Gates Omicioli, to win game one of the weekend series against Northeast in the shootout 5-4.
Danbury had a rough start in the opening frame, with Generals forward Jake Gutwirth striking 7:57 into the period to open the scoring. However, Generals forward Thomas Klochkov would be called for slashing only 2:24 after the first Northeast goal, to give Danbury their first of five power plays in the contest. 46 seconds into the power play, Hat Tricks forward David Utkin tied the game up unassisted to convert on the power play. The remainder of the period would see Northeast strike twice, with forwards John Halverson and Jaden Sikura giving the Generals a two-goal heading into the second period.
Danbury and Northeast started to get physical with each other in the second frame. The period saw 10 penalty minutes and a game misconduct get issued. The misconduct being called against Hat Tricks Head Coach Lenny Caglianone. This occured at the end of the second period, when both teams kept trying to get physical when Danbury was trying to make their way off the ice. Both Head Coaches exchanged words when exiting the bench, yet Caglianone was informed of this at the start of the period. The second period would end with both goaltenders making eight saves each to keep the score 3-1.
Danbury turned up the heat in the final frame, as forward Niko Tournas grabbed his first goal of the game 4:32 into the period to make it a 3-2 game. 1:20 seconds later, Hat Tricks forward Gates Omicioli would tie the game up for Danbury with 14:08 left to play. It would take 9:14 for the next goal to occur, yet it would be Niko Tournas grabbing his second goal, taking the lead for Danbury in the process. However, Northeast would tie the game up with 1:17 left to play in regulation, following Generals defenseman Mason Culley’s goal.
The overtime frame saw some great chances from both sides, yet five minutes flew by with no score to send this game into a shootout. This game was the first shootout for the Hat Tricks, however Hat Tricks netminder Jack Fialkoff became a brick wall and did not allow any shots to get through. Hat Tricks forwards Gates Omicioli and Niko Tournas would shoot, yet Tournas would be the only Hat Tricks to get through Generals netminder Nolan Ryan, leading to the Hat Tricks shootout victory.
The Hat Tricks are back action for their final game of the five game homestand, as well as their last home game in the month of October. You can buy tickets at the door or stream the game live on NATV. Follow us on social media for game day updates, interviews, and more.