SEWELL, N.J. — The Philadelphia Rebels built an early cushion and withstood a late push to edge the Danbury Hat Tricks 6–5 on Friday night at Hollydell Ice Arena, opening a pivotal East Division home-and-home series with an entertaining win.
Philadelphia wasted little time getting on the board. Emmet McClaine opened the scoring less than three minutes into the game, burying his first goal as a Rebel to give the home side an early 1–0 lead. The Rebels continued to press and doubled the advantage midway through the first period when Jordan Brothers converted on the power play, firing home his team-leading 15th goal of the season to make it 2–0.
Danbury answered late in the opening frame. With 55 seconds remaining in the period, Austin Michaud scored on the power play to cut the deficit to 2–1 heading into the intermission, keeping the Hat Tricks within striking distance.
The second period belonged to Philadelphia. Abzal Alibek extended the Rebels’ lead early in the frame with a highlight-reel effort, scoring while falling to the ice. Just over three minutes later, Alibek struck again as a playmaker, sending a crisp cross-ice pass to Billy Sheridan, who tapped it home to push the Rebels’ lead to 4–1.
Danbury again found life on the power play late in the period. Michaud netted his second goal of the night with the man advantage, trimming the margin to 4–2 after two periods and setting the stage for a dramatic third.
The Hat Tricks continued their push early in the final frame. Brady Walters scored to pull Danbury within one, making it a 4–3 game. Philadelphia responded three minutes later when Thomas Klochkov pounced on a rebound in front after an initial shot from Gavin Callahan, restoring a two-goal cushion at 5–3.
The momentum swings were far from over. Just 26 seconds after Klochkov’s goal, Peter Freel answered for Danbury to make it 5–4, reigniting the Hat Tricks’ comeback hopes. Philadelphia created breathing room late when Justin Vlassis scored into the empty net with just under three minutes remaining to extend the lead to 6–4.
Danbury refused to go quietly. Patrik Ula scored late to make it a one-goal game once more, but the Rebels held firm in the final moments to secure the victory.
Ilja Nikitins finished with 25 saves for Philadelphia, while the Rebels capitalized on timely scoring and key responses whenever Danbury threatened to seize momentum. Klochkov finished the evening with four points while Alibek delivered a goal and two assists in the victory.
The win marked another step forward for Philadelphia as it continues to battle in a crowded East Division race. The series concludes Saturday night in Danbury, with puck drop scheduled for 7 p.m.