Thunderbirds look to complete weekend sweep in Danbury Saturday

DANBURY, CT. –The Twin City Thunderbirds return to the ice tonight looking to complete a two-game weekend sweep of the Danbury Hat Tricks at the Danbury Ice Arena. Twin City opened its 10th season in franchise history with a 6-2 victory over Danbury on Friday night, earning its first win under Head Coach Jon Buttitta. Tonight's contest is the second of four regular-season meetings between the teams, with puck drop scheduled for 7:00pm ET.

Twin City (1-0-0) enters tonight's matchup following a strong offensive performance in Friday's season opener, scoring six goals from six different players. The Thunderbirds took control early, scoring four unanswered goals during the 1st period to establish a 4-0 advantage. Joey McCormick opened the scoring for Twin City, followed by goals from Captain Zach White, defenseman Joey Colatarci, and returning forward Dominic Dumas. Colatarci's goal came on the powerplay, giving the Thunderbirds their first special teams goal of the new season.

After Danbury cut the deficit to 4-1 during the 2nd period, Scott Swanson extended Twin City's lead during the 3rd period before Brendan Logan added the Thunderbirds' sixth and final goal. McCormick, Colatarci, and Swanson were among several newcomers making their Thunderbirds debuts, while White, Dumas, and Logan provided additional scoring from returning players. The victory marked a successful beginning to Buttitta's first regular season behind the bench following six seasons as a player for the organization, including four years as Captain and three seasons as Player Assistant Coach.

Friday's victory improved the Thunderbirds' all-time record in season-opening games to 6-3-1 through ten seasons of franchise history. Twin City previously opened a season in Danbury on October 27th, 2023, earning a 4-2 road victory over the Hat Tricks. Current Thunderbirds forward Dominic Dumas made his professional debut in that contest. With Friday's win, the Thunderbirds also improved their all-time regular-season record against Danbury to 12-14-3 through twenty-nine meetings between the organizations. Tonight's matchup presents Twin City with an opportunity to begin its tenth anniversary campaign with consecutive road victories.

Danbury (2-1-0) enters tonight's contest looking to rebound from its first defeat of the 2026-2027 season. The Hat Tricks began the year with consecutive road victories over the Watertown Wolves, winning 9-5 and 5-4 in overtime before suffering Friday's four-goal loss. Danbury had scored fourteen goals through its first two games, including five on the powerplay, but was limited to two goals against Twin City. Forward Genaro Fronduto accounted for both Hat Tricks goals Friday night, scoring once during the 2nd period and again during the 3rd period. Fronduto is entering his second professional season with Danbury after recording ten goals and fourteen assists for twenty-four points in forty-five games during the 2025-2026 campaign. The Hat Tricks have now scored sixteen goals through their first three games of the season.

The Thunderbirds will look to carry Friday's offensive production into tonight's rematch while securing their second consecutive victory to begin the season. Twin City and Danbury will meet twice more during the 2026-2027 regular season when the Hat Tricks travel to Winston-Salem for a two-game series on January 15th and 16th. Following tonight's contest, the Thunderbirds will continue their season-opening road trip with a pair of games against the Monroe Moccasins on October 30th and 31st before traveling to face the Blue Ridge Bobcats on November 6th.

Single game tickets for all Twin City Thunderbirds regular season home games at the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds Arena are on sale now. Tickets may be purchased online at tcbirds.com, wsfairgrounds.com, ticketmaster.com, or by calling the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds Arena Box Office at (336) 774-8880. For Season Ticket and Group Ticket information, contact Holli Carmin at (336) 774-8882 or hcarmin@tcbirds.hockey.