Game Preview: Hat Tricks at Binghamton Black Bears: October 17
FPHL Danbury Hat Tricks

Game Preview: Hat Tricks at Binghamton Black Bears: October 17

Published on October 17, 2025 under Federal Prospects Hockey League (FPHL)
Danbury Hat Tricks News Release


LAST TIME OUT

The Hat Tricks were held scoreless despite firing 40 shots on Port Huron Prowlers goaltender Reid Cooper Saturday, dropping both games of their opening weekend series at the Danbury Ice Arena. After a 3-1 loss in a penalty-filled opener Friday, Oct. 10, the Hat Tricks fell 4-0 in the rematch. The teams combined for 251 penalty minutes over the weekend.

Port Huron opened the scoring in Saturday's first period when defenseman Brett Lockhart beat Danbury goaltender Kyle Penton with a wrist shot from the right circle. The Prowlers extended their lead in the second period with goals from Reginald Millette and Aartu Heikkilä (PPG). Nicholas Favaro capped the scoring with another power-play tally midway through the third.

Despite steady pressure, the Hat Tricks could not solve Cooper, who earned his first shutout of the season. Danbury produced plenty of shots but few quality chances in front of the net. Discipline also proved costly. Danbury took 14 penalties Saturday and 28 total for the weekend and only scored one power play goal on 24 opportunities.

HEAD-TO-HEAD

During the 2024-25 season, the Hat Tricks went 1-8-1-1 against the Binghamton Black Bears, dropping five straight to close out the season series. Across the 11 matchups, Danbury was outscored 45-26, though five of those contests were decided by just one goal.

The Hat Tricks dropped the final meeting of the season on April 11, 6-2, on the road despite scoring the game's first goal. After taking an early lead, Danbury surrendered three straight goals and six of the next seven-including a short-handed tally-to end the season series on a losing note. The previous matchup came on March 29 at the Danbury Ice Arena, when the Hat Tricks fell 5-2 on Alumni Night. Danbury trailed 3-0 after the first period, and although Connor Woolley scored on the power play and Aleksandr Vasilyev cut the deficit to 4-2 early in the third, the comeback fell short as Binghamton completed the weekend sweep (6-3 L, 5-2 L). One bright spot was the Hat Tricks' penalty kill, which went a perfect 9-for-9 across the two-game set.

Special teams were a mixed bag for Danbury throughout the series. The Hat Tricks allowed six power-play goals and scored four of their own. On the penalty kill, Danbury struck for five short-handed goals while Binghamton posted one.

Danbury's most decisive win over Binghamton came on Nov. 23, a 7-4 victory at home in which the Hat Tricks netted three straight goals in the second period to break a 2-2 tie and never trailed again. Aleksandr Gamzatov and Binghamton's Donald Olivieri each finished with two goals and an assist. Earlier that month, on Nov. 2, the Hat Tricks earned a 4-3 shootout win on the road-their first of four shootout victories that season. Josh Labelle scored the lone goal in the eighth round of the shootout after Chase Harwell tallied twice in regulation to help Danbury build a 3-1 lead before the Black Bears rallied late.

In the season series, Harwell led Danbury with six goals and nine points. Gleb Bandurkin posted seven points (three goals, four assists) while Jonny Ruiz (four goals, one assists), Jacob Ratcliffe (five assists), and Connor Woolley (two goals, three assists) each contributed five points. Goaltender Conor McCollum posted a .916 save percentage despite a 2-7-1 record.

For Binghamton, captain Tyson Kirkby paced the club with four goals and nine assists, while CJ Stubbs added four goals and eight assists. Cam Clark, Scott Ramaekers and Austin Thompson each had four goals and Gavin Yates totaled 10 points (three goals, seven assists). In goal, Connor McAnanama went 5-0-1 with a .928 save percentage, Nolan Egbert finished 3-1 with a .927 save percentage, and CJ Hapward stopped 22 of 25 shots in his first appearance against Danbury on March 14, earning the win.

ABOUT THE BLACK BEARS

The Binghamton Black Bears are fresh off their second consecutive Commissioner's Cup championship and a historic season. They swept the Carolina Thunderbirds, now the Twin City Thunderbirds, three games to none in the Finals for the second straight year, becoming the first team in the FPHL's 15-year history to win back-to-back titles. Binghamton finished the playoffs 7-1-0, winning five straight with a plus-19 goal differential on the way to the championship. In the regular season, they were the league's best team by 19 points, winning the Empire Division for the second consecutive year with a 46-6-4 record and a plus-148 goal differential, despite leading the league in penalty minutes (1,401). Binghamton defended the Visions Veterans Memorial Ice, losing just twice in regulation and once in a shootout to the Hat Tricks (Nov. 2). The Black Bears closed out the regular season with 20 straight home wins, including three over Danbury, and went a perfect 4-0 in the playoffs.

This season, Binghamton is off to another strong start, winning both opening weekend games against the Watertown Wolves. The Black Bears outlasted the Wolves in a shootout Friday, Oct. 10, 5-4, after surrendering a 4-2 third-period lead. Mac Jansen scored the only shootout goal in the second round. The next night, Oct. 11, Binghamton exploded in the third period of a 3-3 game, scoring four unanswered goals. Rookie forward Joowon Kim scored twice, while veteran CJ Stubbs added the game-winning goal and two assists.

Binghamton has scored three power-play goals on 15 opportunities while allowing two on 10 penalty-kill chances. Through two games, Stubbs leads the team with five points (1G, 4A), followed by Jansen and Kim with two goals each. Five players have recorded three or more points, including veterans Gavin Yates (four assists) and Thompson (three goals). Captain Tyson Kirkby was placed on the 15-day injured reserve after suffering an injury last weekend. Kirkby, second in the league in points (97) last season, also ranked third in power-play goals (12) and led the Black Bears in assists (60) and short-handed goals (four), while Thompson led the team in goals (39) and game-winning goals (nine).

Binghamton returns FPHL Goaltender of the Year and Commissioner's Cup Playoffs MVP Connor McAnanama, who led the league in wins last season with 30. His 30-3-1 record was the best in the FPHL, and his 2.08 goals-against average (first), .922 save percentage (fourth), and four shutouts (second) ranked among the league leaders.

HAT TRICKS HEADLINES

The Hat Tricks dropped the first two games of the 2025-26 season in their opening weekend series against the Port Huron Prowlers at home. Danbury was outscored seven to one in two games and combined for 251 penalty minutes with the Prowlers. The only other time the Hat Tricks lost both games to start a season was during their inaugural campaign against Port Huron, two overtime losses that led to an 0-2-2 start. Last year, Danbury got off to an inconsistent start, going 3-4-3-1 in the first 12 games, but turned it around after a disappointing weekend sweep in Wytheville, Virginia, Jan. 10-11, finishing the regular season 19-5-3-3. Despite that late surge, the Hat Tricks were swept in the opening round of the playoffs for the second consecutive season, falling to Motor City in 2024 and Port Huron in 2025.

Danbury retooled its roster under first-year head coach John Bierchen and general manager AJ Galante. Bierchen, 37, a native of Clearwater, Florida, brings a decade of coaching experience across North America and Europe, including recent stints with the Nordic Hockey Academy in Austria and Kärpät's under-18 program in Finland. He has also coached in the SPHL, ECHL, and NCAA ranks and is a former goaltender and head coach for the University of Alabama (ACHA).

The Hat Tricks return 11 players from last season but will miss the leadership and production of several longtime contributors. Defenseman and former co-head coach Kyle Gonzalez retired after anchoring the blue line for multiple seasons, and forward Connor Woolley also retired. Forward Cory Anderson, the second-leading scorer in franchise history and among the top three in team goals and points, moved into coaching. Danbury also lost forward Jacob Ratcliffe, who ranks fifth all-time in games played, fourth in points, and second in assists, along with forward Chase Harwell, who ranks in the top 10 in goals, power-play goals, and short-handed goals. The Hat Tricks must also replace their high-scoring "Russian line" of Gleb Bandurkin, Vadim Frolov, and Aleksandr Vasilyev. Bandurkin, the team's 2024 Rookie and Offensive Player of the Year, was traded to the Athens Rock Lobsters; Vasilyev returned overseas; and Frolov is currently playing in the SPHL.

BRING IN THE YOUTH

Among the newcomers, forward Alexander Legkov headlines the group after an explosive season with the New Jersey 87's (EHL), tallying 97 points (31 goals, 66 assists) in 38 games and earning league Forward of the Year, first-team All-Star honors, and Frozen Finals MVP. He is joined by forwards Denis Zaychik (formerly HC Venom) and Austan Bellefeuille (Blue Ridge Bobcats) and defenseman Connor Craig (HC Venom), all expected to make an immediate impact. They will join returning core players, including alternate captain and Defensive Player of the Year Josh Labelle, two-way forward Josh Newberg, and skilled winger Zach Pamaylaon.

NEW ACQUISITIONS

Earlier this week, Danbury acquired forward Jordon Fromm from the Blue Ridge Bobcats, signed veteran winger Jake Raleigh, and reinstated forward Noah Robinson from a loan with the Jacksonville Icemen (ECHL). Jordon Kromm, 26, joins the Hat Tricks after a standout four-year collegiate career at the University of Jamestown (ACHA). From 2020 to 2024, the Alberta native appeared in 121 games for the Jimmies, recording 83 points (47 goals, 36 assists). Last season, Kromm began his professional career overseas with Asplöven HF in Sweden's Division 2, tallying 21 points (10 goals, 11 assists) in 28 games, plus a goal and an assist in four playoff outings. Raleigh, 28, joins Danbury following a 2024-25 campaign split between the SPHL and FPHL. The Raleigh, North Carolina, native appeared in 43 games with the Macon Mayhem (SPHL), recording 17 points (nine goals, eight assists), while also seeing time with the Motor City Rockers (five games) and Columbus River Dragons (one game, one goal).

MR. DANBURY RETURNS

Captain Jonny Ruiz returns for his sixth season in Hat City and remains the face of the franchise. The 31-year-old holds every major offensive record in team history, including games played (247), points (329), goals (176), assists (153), power-play goals (51), and short-handed goals (17). A four-time team MVP and three-time Offensive Player of the Year, Ruiz led Danbury to the 2023 Commissioner's Cup championship and continues to set the standard for leadership and production. He owns the two highest single-season point totals in team history (85 in 2021-22 and 74 in 2023-24) and the top three goal-scoring seasons (49, 38, 35). Ruiz became the first player in franchise history to surpass 300 career points on Feb. 22, 2025, against Port Huron.

DISCIPLINE HANDED OUT

The FPHL issued suspensions following opening weekend (Oct. 10-11) for actions committed during games:

Zach Pamaylaon - five games for multiple match penalties, including spearing and cross-checking.

Jesse Swanson - two games as a repeat aggressor after delivering multiple punches to an unexpecting opponent.

Joshua Tomasi - one game for participating in a post-whistle altercation while opponents were defenseless.

Additionally, Swanson, 22, announced his retirement, and forward Mathias Tellström failed to report to the team.

The Danbury Hat Tricks continue their sixth season in the Federal Prospects Hockey League on Friday, Oct. 17 against the Binghamton Black Bears at Visions Veterans Memorial Arena in Binghamton before returning home versus the Black Bears on Saturday, Oct. 18. Single-game tickets and season ticket packages are on sale now and can be purchased in person at the Hat Tricks office located inside the Danbury Ice Arena at 1 Independence Way in Danbury, by calling (973-713-7547) or emailing (herm@danburyhattricks.com) the office, or online through Tixr. For the latest Hat Tricks news, visit www.danburyhattricks.com, follow the team on Facebook (www.facebook.com/danburyhattricks), Instagram (@danburyhattricks), X (@DanburyHatTrick), TikTok (@danburyhattricks), and YouTube (@DanburyHatTricks), and subscribe to the Hat Tricks' newsletter.

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Federal Prospects Hockey League Stories from October 17, 2025


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