SEWELL, NJ – The Philadelphia Rebels (7-15-0-1, 15 pts) host the Danbury Jr. Hat Tricks (2-21-1-1, 6 pts) for a pair of games at Hollydell Ice Arena this weekend.
Here are five things to know ahead of the series:
1. Familiar Foe
This weekend will be the second series between the Rebels and the Hat Tricks in the last three weeks.
Two weeks ago, in Danbury, the Rebels swept the Hat Tricks with an overtime win and a 7-1 rout to finish the series.
Connor Sedlak scored the overtime game-winning goal in the first game, while five Rebels had multiple points in the 7-1 win on Nov. 19.
Jakub Krbecek stopped 54 of 56 shots he faced in the two victories over Danbury.
2. November Stars
Krbecek was one of three Rebels players named as Honorable Mentions for NAHL Stars of the Month in November.
He is joined by Sedlak and defenseman Dom Foglia. Both Sedlak and Foglia scored four goals and added three assists each in nine November games.
In five games as a Rebel, Foglia has four goals and two assists. Foglia scored twice in the loss on Sunday against Johnstown.
Krbecek won three of his last four starts to finish the month.
3. Getting Hot
Max Marquette has found a groove of late, recording two multi-point games in his last five contests.
The first of those came against Danbury, when he scored a goal and assisted on another. Marquette followed that with two goals in the second period of last Friday’s win over Johnstown.
He scored twice in 67 seconds late in the period to give Philadelphia a lead it would never relinquish in a 5-3 win.
4. Last time out
Philadelphia played its first three-in-three of the season last weekend against Johnstown, kicking it off with a 5-3 win on Friday.
The win was led by three goals late in the second, spearheaded by Marquette’s pair of tallies.
The Rebels offense went cold in Saturday’s loss, scoring just once in a 3-1 loss. In the finale on Sunday, Philadelphia scored four, but Johnstown scored three late in the second to hold on for a 5-4 win.
5. Scouting the Jr. Hat Tricks
Danbury enters at the basement of the North American Hockey League, winning just two of its 25 games.
Nash Jacobsma leads the way offensively for the Jr. Hat Tricks with 11 points, while Ryan Johnson’s seven goals tops the Danbury stat sheet. Johnson scored a power-play goal against Philadelphia on Nov. 19.
The Jr. Hat Tricks netminder Patriks Berzins will provide a test for Philadelphia as he is committed to play collegiately at the University of Maine.
Puck drop on Friday is at 8 p.m., while Saturday’s contest begins at 7:30. Admission is free for both matchups and they can also be seen on HockeyTV.
