Ryan Bunting and Klaus Jogi each scored a powerplay goal while Jared Coccimiglio and Jett Otwell scored even strength to help lead the Rebels to a 4 – 2 win over the visiting Hat Tricks.
Despite the win, the Rebels failed to gain ground on the Northeast Generals for the sixth and final playoff spot. The Generals defeated the Rochester Jr. Americans 4 – 3 to keep two points ahead of Philadelphia.
After a scoreless first period in which the Rebels outshot the Tricks 13 to 9, Danbury’s Logan Nickerson opened the scoring at 5:24 into the middle stanza. Danbury’s Timur Naletov picked up the loose puck at the top of his own far side faceoff circle and made a cross-ice pass that was ahead of a breaking Nickerson and went to the end wall where Nickerson and Rebels netminder Owen Crudale went to play the puck. Crudale went to rim the puck towards the near side corner but the biscuit bounced off Nickerson and when towards the slot and caromed off a Rebels defender and into the empty net to make it a 1 – 0 game.
At 8:35 of the second, Danbury’s Nick Ferrari was called for slashing to give the Rebels the man advantage. Bunting tied the game One minute and eighteen seconds later. Luke Janviriya started the play at the top of his own slot and make a pass to Billy Sheridan breaking down the near side boards. As Sheridan went towards the corner, he made a centering pass out front that was redirected by Bunting and past Danbury’s netminder Lukas Fursten to tie the game at one. It was Bunting’s eighth goal of the season.
Ferrari was called for slashing again with 6:17 left in the second. A minute and twelve seconds later Jogi gave the Rebels the lead for good. Janviriya again started the play at the top of the apex in the Tricks zone. Janviriya passed the puck to Charles Panchisin and the top of the far side circle, skated towards the hash marks and made a cross-ice pass to Jogi who took a one-timer and went into the back for the net for Jogi’s tenth goal of the season.
Coccimiglio and Otwell scored twenty-three seconds apart to make it 4 – 1 and put the game out of reach starting with 8:14 remaining in the third. Ryan Vaites picked up the loose puck at his own near side end wall and passed it up to Coccimiglio breaking down the boards. As Coccimiglio gained the line, he cut across to the sot on his right, and Coccimiglio took a wrist shot beat Fursten blocker side to make it 3 – 1.
Otwell made it 4 – 1 on his second goal of the season. Panchisin stripped the puck off a Danbury player at the top of the far side faceoff circle and made pass to Otwell in the slot, and Otwell took a wrist shot that beat Fursten blocker side. Ferrari scored with 1:20 left in the game to make it 4 – 2 and closeout the scoring.
Crudale turned aside 28 of 30 shots while Danbury’s netminders combined to stop 29 of 33 shots. Click HERE for the complete box score.
