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[mitchbeck]

BRYANT: PROWLERS SPOIL OPENER IN OT, TAKE 5-4 VICTORY FROM HAT TRICKS

BY: Casey Bryant, Danbury Hat Tricks DANBURY, CT - Fans got exactly what they wanted from their first professional Danbury hockey game in two years. Well, everything except a win. Despite leading at three different times in the game, the Danbury Hat Tricks, playing their first game in franchise history, failed to close it out. Just 39 seconds into the overtime period, a Matt Robinson goal, ironically his third of the game giving him the hat trick, did in Danbury as the visiting Port Huron Prowlers won it, 4-3. Jonny Ruiz scored the franchise's first goal as well as netted his first professional goal, just one minute into the first period. With a bouncing puck along the far wall, Ruiz corralled it onto his stick, maneuvered out to the slot and ripped a wrister past the Prowlers netminder, Chris Paulin. Port Huron answered back late in the first with just 50 seconds remaining off a brilliant feed from the point by Paul Arnott that found Robertson who slipped it past Hat Tricks starting netminder, Nick Niedert. The Prowlers grabbed the lead on the power play at 9:06 of the second period when Austin Fetterly took advantage of a fortuitous bounce off a Danbury defender, Kruz Listmayer and beat Neidert for the 2-1 lead. The Prowlers dominated possession in the second period, but it was the Hat Tricks on a power play at 17:14 with Ruiz's second of the game to end the period tied at 2. Penalties abounded in the final frame, with a back-and-forth exchange of scoring. Dalton Jay netted his second of the contest to knot the game at three. With less than three minutes remaining in the third period, Cory Anderson potted a powerplay goal to give the Tricks their third lead. That advantage did not last long, as a shot from the high slot off the stick of Matt Stoia redirected off a Danbury defender and past Niedert. In overtime, off a 2-on-1 rush generated by two of the most dangerous scorers in the FPHL, was started by Matt Graham and finished by Robertson. "We showed a lot of character," Hat Tricks head coach Billy McCreary said. "Any time we went through adversity, the guys didn't shy away from it...our defensive zone play has got to get a little better." McCreary specifically found plenty of positives in Ruiz's play. The rookie in his first pro game notched two goals. "He brings a lot of energy. He's very vocal. For him to take the next step, he's gotta be solid in all three zones. He's definitely a big part of what we're doing. "Danbury Arena is an electric place," McCreary said as he praised the 1,509 who packed Danbury Ice Arena. The crowd gave his team a standing ovation following the overtime loss. "We want to give them more to cheer about." Read the full article