Tomahawks Top Hat Tricks 3-1 in Series Opener
NAHL Danbury Jr. Hat Tricks

Tomahawks Top Hat Tricks 3-1 in Series Opener

Published on March 6, 2026 under North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Danbury Jr. Hat Tricks News Release


Matt Shpungin scored his 19th goal of the season, but the Danbury Hat Tricks fell 3-1 to the Johnstown Tomahawks in game one of the weekend series at First Summit Arena.

With the win, Johnstown moves to within four points of Danbury in the race for the sixth and final playoff spot in the NAHL East Division.

The Tomahawks opened the scoring late in the first period. With 3:39 remaining, Kirby Perler fired a wrist shot from the slot that beat Hat Tricks goaltender Jon Dukaric blocker side for his third goal of the season, giving Johnstown a 1-0 lead. The Tomahawks controlled much of the opening period and outshot Danbury 13-7.

Danbury responded in the second period. After Conor Griffin was called for hooking with 5:14 remaining, the Hat Tricks capitalized on the power play.

With about a minute and a half left in the advantage, Kai Elkie started the play from the near-side corner and sent a pass up to Patrik Ula at the top of the point. Ula's one-timer was stopped by Johnstown goaltender Zach Ferris, but the rebound kicked out to Shpungin on the doorstep, and the Wayne, NJ native buried it to even the score at 1-1.

Johnstown continued to apply pressure throughout the game, forcing Dukaric to make several key saves to keep the Hat Tricks within reach.

The Tomahawks regained the lead with six minutes remaining in regulation. Ben Norris chased the puck toward the far-side corner in the offensive zone and fired a sharp-angle shot that caught Dukaric moving to his right. The puck slipped short side, giving Johnstown a 2-1 advantage.

Nick Jarmain sealed the victory with an empty-net goal with 22 seconds remaining, pushing the final score to 3-1.

Dukaric finished the night with 28 saves on 30 shots, while Ferris turned aside 21 of 22 for Johnstown.

Check out the Danbury Jr. Hat Tricks Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



North American Hockey League Stories from March 6, 2026


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central