Danbury, CT | Patrick Frenette
The Hat Tricks are back home this weekend for an eastern division matchup against the Rochester Jr. Americans. This is the first time this season that these two teams will face each other for the first series of the season. The teams will face off in two more weekends, the second meeting comes at the end of this month, which will take place in Rochester.
Last year, the Jr. Americans had their inaugural season and faced off against Danbury four times in the regular season. The Hat Tricks went 1-3-0-0 against Rochester, with their only win coming in a 2-1 regulation win at the Rochester Ice Center. Both teams had an unpleasant time at the NAHL Showcase this season, with Danbury going 0-3-0-0 and Rochester going 0-1-1-1. These clubs look to break out of their respective skids this weekend, with Danbury showing promise in the showcase to dominate games when they play the full 60.
Looking at the top three performers on both teams for scoring, Hat Tricks forward, Gates Omicioli, leads the team with four goals and seven points total, with forward and alternate captain, Ameen Ghosheh, coming in second with two goals and four points. Forward, Jack Wuertz comes in at third with two goals, however, defenseman, Drew Jensen, is third in total points with four. In comparison to the Jr. Americans top scorers, forward, Andrew Gibbons, has totaled six goals and seven points total, followed by forward, Calle Carlson, who has tallied four goals and seven points total. Forward, Jaden Dyke, has totaled three goals to take third in scoring. However, forward, Hugo Branthsson, is third in points with a total of six. When comparing statistics on special teams, the Hat Tricks have a 12.00% power play conversion percentage, which is ranked 26th in the league. Rochester is 9th in the league with a 19.44% power play conversion percentage, which the Hat Tricks look to combat this weekend. Rochester also has a 84.00% penalty kill percentage, ranking 20th in the league, whereas Danbury has a 75.00% penalty kill percentage, ranking 33rd in the league.
The weekend faceoff begins tomorrow night at the Danbury Ice Arena with a 7:00 p.m. puck drop. You can stream the game on NATV and follow us on social media for game day updates, interviews, and more!