Danbury, CT | Patrick Frenette
The Hat Tricks are ready to get back into the swing of things in 2025 with three games in three days. The schedule features a trip to Canton, Massachusetts, for a two-game set with the Generals and a Sunday home game against the Nordiques. Danbury has not played against these opponents since October and November, respectively. Thus far, the Hat Tricks lead both series matchups for the season, as Danbury holds a 2-0 lead over Northeast and a 2-1 lead over Maine.
Looking at the majority of the weekend’s opponents in the Generals, Northeast ended the calendar year with a split series in Johnstown. The Generals fell to the Tomahawks by a score of 5-3 on Monday night, before turning things around on New Year’s Eve with a 5-4 overtime victory that was delivered to them by recently picked up forward William-Francisco Parent with just 44 seconds remaining in regulation. Parent is currently second in points on the Northeast squad, with forward Rich Rucireto holding the top spot as he has 40 points in 34 games played. From a special teams perspective, Northeast has dominated the penalty kill, ranking third in the division and 14th in the league, with an 84.09% success rate and a league-leading seven short-handed goals. When the Hat Tricks and Generals last faced against each other in October, Danbury pulled off a third period comeback to win the first meeting 5-4 following a shootout. The next night would not be close, as the Hat Tricks put together a 7-3 victory to gain their first weekend sweep of the season. A few key players to watch out for in the Northeast matchup include forwards William-Francisco Parent (9G-22A), Rich Rucireto (18G-22A), and Divyne Apollon, who the Generals acquired in a trade with Amarillo in early December (201 PIM).
As for Maine, they ended December with a split against Rochester, taking a 2-1 loss in game one of the weekend. Yet, they turned up the heat on night two, as Nordiques Netminder Carter Richardson put up a 38-save shutout, lifting Maine to a 4-0 victory. Looking at the leading scorers in the Nordiques lineup (all stats as of 1/2/2025), forwards Zion Green, Laurent Trepanier, and Ethan Wongus currently hold 36, 35, and 34 points in that respective order through 33 games played (this crew consists of the key players to watch for this matchup). Out of the bunch, Trepanier leads the team in goals with 21 thus far. The last time these two teams squared off against each other was on Wednesday November, 13, when the Hat Tricks came up victorious in a 3-2 shootout victory, as defenseman Ryan Lukko’s shootout goal would push Maine over the edge. Looking at the Nordiques special teams, the Nordiques are fourth in the East on the man-advantage(18.45%), and second in the division on the man-disadvantage (84.62%). The Hat Tricks ended 2024 with a commanding 6-1 victory over the Tomahawks, to split the weekend series. In that weekend, Danbury outscored Johnstown 7-4, while going 1/3 on the power play and 4/4 on the penalty kill in the series.
The Hat Tricks look to keep up this momentum as they start 2025 with their first and only three-in-three of the season. Puck drop on Friday January, 3 is set for 7:40 p.m. and 7:15 on Saturday January 4. Puck drop is set for the first Hat Tricks home game of the month on Sunday January, 5 at 7:30 p.m. You can stream all games on NATV and follow us on social media for game day updates, interviews, exclusive content, and more.