Dillon Kelley once more stood on his head for the Danbury Hat Tricks, turning aside 46 Carolina shots in a dramatic 3-2 victory over the Thunderbirds at Danbury Arena.
After a back-and-forth start to the game, Matyas Kasek opened the scoring with a powerplay goal from between the hashmarks, burying a feed from Jonny Ruiz. Carter Shinkaruk would add to the lead by wiring a wrist shot over the glove of Jacob Mullen to give Danbury a 2-0 advantage heading into the first intermission.
Casper Dyrssen would strike early in the second period, just four seconds into a 4-on-3 powerplay. Carolina would begin mounting a comeback in the middle frame, as Konner Haas would pot a shorthanded goal and Daniel Klinecky would sneak one through Kelley's leg pad.
Kelley would hold firm in the final period, stopping 13 goals to seal a 3-2 win.
"We played really well in our d-zone in the third period," commented Jonny Ruiz after the game. "We'd love to get the series sweep here tomorrow."
Coming up for the Hat Tricks...
Saturday is Jamaican Vacation Giveaway Night as the Tricks and T-Birds complete their series. Tickets are on sale now at danburyhattricks.com/tickets. For more information, call the main office at 203-794-1704. Live game streaming available on Youtube.
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