Danbury’s Wyatt Stefan scored a shorthanded goal with 3:50 remaining in the game to give the visiting Hat Tricks a 3 – 2 win over the Rebels eliminating Philadelphia from playoff contention with one game remaining in the regular season.
Brayton Frick opened the scoring with 8:31 left in the first period. After Frick won the draw deep inside the Danbury zone, the puck went back to Shane Carr at the far side point. Carr took a shot found its way through traffic but it was stopped by Tricks netminder Thomas Kiesewetter. The rebound went to the left of Kiesewtter where it was picked up by Frick who took a shot that beat the Danbury netminder short side for Frick’s sixth goal of the season.
The Rebels doubled their lead two minutes later. As Danbury tried to breakout of their own zone, the loose puck was picked by Coccimiglio at the top of the far side faceoff circle. Coccimiglio went towards the boards and then skated towards the net where he took a shot that beat Kiesewetter short side for Coccimiglio’s team high twenty-third goal of the season.
Pierre Larocque scored with three minutes remaining in the opening period to cut Danbury’s deficit in half. The Tricks’ Mason Lupo picked up the loose puck at center ice and walked in all alone on Owen Crudale and took a shot that was save by Crudale but the rebound came right out to Larocque who put the biscuit into the back of the net for Larocque’s fourth goal of the season.
Danbury’s Timur Naletov tied the score at 6:13 into the middle stanza. Stefan brought the puck into the offensive zone along the near side boards and passed it up to Andrew Horn who was to the right of Stefan. As Horn went to the corner, he turned and made a centering pass out front that Naletov took a one-timer that beat Crudale for Naletov’s first goal of the season.
Before the Tricks’ Josh Erickson was called for holding with 5:17 remaining in the third, the Rebels had a four-minute man advantage but were unable to convert. With Erickson in the box, the Rebels looked for the go-ahead goal. With time winding down on the powerplay, Sonny DiNubile brought the puck out of his own end and turned around at center ice and passed it back to Paddy Fortune who passed the biscuit to Coccimiglio on his right. As Coccimiglio started to skate up the far side boards, he was knocked off the puck by Stefan who entered the offensive zone and took a wrist shot from the faceoff circle that beat Crudale long side to give the Hat Tricks the win and split the weekend series between the teams.
Crudale turned aside 26 of 29 shots while Kiesewetter stopped 30 of 32. Click HERE for the complete box score.
The Rebels now will close out the regular season with a makeup game against the Maine Nordiques.
