Maine Nordiques hang on to defeat Danbury Jr. Hat Tricks

The Maine Nordiques did not let the lead slip away Thursday.

The Nordiques defeated the Danbury Jr. Hat Tricks 3-2 in an NAHL East Division game at the Danbury Ice Arena in Danbury, Connecticut.

Last Saturday, the Nordiques let a 4-1 lead slip away in a 5-4 loss to the Johnstown Tomahawks.

“Our game before this one, last Saturday, we did jump out to a lead, we kept building on that lead,” Maine Nordiques coach Matt Pinchevsky said. “We stuck with the plan longer there, but we got in our own way in the last nine minutes. Tonight, I don’t think we got in our own way, but we did get away from how well we were playing to build that lead.”

The Nordiques came storming out in the first period, firing 14 shots on Hat Tricks goalie Marino Ramirez in the frame.

Two of those shots found the back of the net late in the period. Forward Filip Wiberg scored his fifth goal of the season with about 3:30 minutes remaining in the period. Linemate Caden Pattison had an assist.

Tristan Fasig scored his 11th goal of the year with 65 seconds left in the first period to give Maine a 2-0 lead heading into the first intermission.

“It was huge,” Pinchevsky said of the two goals. “We haven’t been on the board first (lately), and then we have to make the fans all start cheering or silence them when we start to mount that comeback.”

Midway through the second period, Western Michigan commit Theo Thrun scored his seventh goal for the Nordiques on the power play for a 3-0 lead. Linemate Patrick Schmiedlin had the helper.

Ramirez saw 19 more shots from the Nordiques in the second period.

Danbury scored late in the second period, with Marian Haborak notching his sixth goal of the year.

Robert Hyde scored to put Danbury within one goal with six-and-half minutes remaining in the third period.

The Nordiques put 16 more shots on Ramirez (46 saves) in the third period. Avery Sturtz stopped 23 shots in the win and played very well, according to Pinchevsky.

Maine will look for the sweep Friday when the Nordiques have a 3:30 p.m. matinee against the Hat Tricks in Danbury.

“We want to be better in our transition game and we want to better with our communication all over the ice,” Pinchevsky said on things the team will work on for Friday’s game. “We want to play fast, or if guys aren’t talking, having that urgency to get in position, it makes things slow down. We want to push the pace, not slow down the pace.”

NORDIQUES SIGN MAX TREPPO TO A TENDER

On Wednesday, the Nordiques signed defenseman Max Treppo to a tender contract for the 2022-23 season.

The 17-year-old from Shaker Heights, Ohio, has seven goals and 24 assists in 57 games this season for Gilmour Academy (Ohio).

“We are very excited to be Max’s hockey home moving forward,” Pinchevsky said in a press release. “He brings ability, a 6’3 frame, and plays with an edge. Max checks a ton of boxes: great grades, tremendous character, talent, and compete (level). Coming from Gilmour Academy, we know he will translate well, as they do a great job preparing their players.”

Treppo was identified by Caleb Wyse, the organization’s director of scouting.

The organization signed Oliver Genest of Seacoast Performance Academy 17U team and David Helledy of the New Hampton School (New Hampshire) to tenders earlier this month. Genest was added to the organization’s affiliate list earlier this season.

A tender is a contract that gives a team a player’s NAHL rights, and the player cannot be drafted or signed by another NAHL team. The player, however, can sign with another team in another junior league.