Weekend Preview: January 28-29 - Hat Tricks Travel to Elmira to Face Aviators
NAHL Danbury Jr. Hat Tricks

Weekend Preview: January 28-29 - Hat Tricks Travel to Elmira to Face Aviators

Published on January 30, 2026 under North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Danbury Jr. Hat Tricks News Release


The Danbury Hat Tricks hit the road to begin a two-game weekend series against the Elmira Aviators, with puck drop set for 7:00 PM tonight and again Saturday night at the LeCom Event Center.

This marks the second of three consecutive road weekends for Danbury as they continue a stretch-heavy portion of their schedule.

Aviators & Hat Tricks Overview

This weekend is the third and final meeting between the clubs this season. Elmira has won three of the previous four matchups, outscoring Danbury 16-11. The last meeting came in mid-December at the Danbury Ice Arena, where the Hat Tricks earned a 3-1 victory in the opener before the Aviators responded with a 4-3 shootout win in game two.

Matt Maglio (2 goals, 4 assists) and former Rabbit Evan Dantas (3 goals, 3 assists) each have six points against the Hat Tricks, with Dantas leading all players with three goals. Elmira's power play has converted at a 28% clip (5-for-18), while Aviators goaltenders own a combined 2.75 goals-against average and .911 save percentage with no shutouts.

For Danbury, Kai Elkie (2 goals, 3 assists) leads the way with five points against Elmira. Ben Dempster, Willem Kerr, and Elkie have each scored twice versus the Aviators. The Hat Tricks are 0-for-8 on the power play in four games against Elmira. Danbury netminders carry a combined 3.45 goals-against average and .878 save percentage with no shutouts in the season series.

Aviators Overview

Elmira enters the weekend eighth in the East Division with a 13-18-5-2 record for 33 points (29th in the league). The Aviators are coming off a 5-2 road loss to the Philadelphia Rebels, with the second game of that set postponed. Elmira has won one of its last five games and four of its last ten, and owns a 7-7-3-2 home record.

Offensively, the Aviators have scored 102 goals (28th in the league) and allowed 147 (sixth most). They are converting on 19.27% of their power-play chances (22nd) and killing penalties at a 77.55% rate (21st). Elmira has scored 30 power-play goals (16th), five short-handed goals (19th), and has allowed 13 short-handed goals, the most in the league.

Maglio leads the team with 33 points (12 goals, 21 assists), while Dantas paces the Aviators with 14 goals. Three different players have recorded game-winning goals. Jake Baratta leads the team with a +3 rating, and Andrew Piccirello has a team-high 118 penalty minutes.

In goal, Elmira goaltenders hold a combined 3.41 goals-against average and .902 save percentage with one shutout (Max Larson). Larson leads the team with four wins, while Aiden McKenna owns a team-best .912 save percentage and 3.07 goals-against average.

Hat Tricks Overview

Danbury enters the series seventh in the East Division with a 17-17-2-3 record for 39 points (20th in the league). The Hat Tricks are coming off a 3-0 home shutout victory over the New Jersey Titans and have won three of their last five games and four of their last ten. On the road this season, Danbury has earned four wins in 16 games.

The Hat Tricks have scored 125 goals (16th in the league) and allowed 129 (13th most). They are converting at a 16.08% rate on the power play (27th) and killing penalties at an 81.99% clip (8th). Danbury has scored 23 power-play goals (28th), six short-handed goals (12th), and has allowed four short-handed goals (21st).

Elkie leads the Hat Tricks with 37 points (12 goals, 25 assists), while Matt Shpungin paces the team with 16 goals. Austin Michaud, Peter Freel, and Tanner Terranova each have two game-winning goals. Freel leads the club with a +11 rating, and Gavin O'Hara has a team-high 106 penalty minutes.

Between the pipes, Danbury goaltenders own a combined 3.10 goals-against average and .901 save percentage with three shutouts-Luke Brassil (1) and Jon Dukaric (2). Dukaric leads the team in wins (14), shutouts (2), save percentage (.915), and goals-against average (2.76).

Check out the Danbury Jr. Hat Tricks Statistics

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North American Hockey League Stories from January 30, 2026


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