Thunderbirds open tenth season with 6-2 road win over Hat Tricks

DANBURY, CT. – The Twin City Thunderbirds opened their tenth season in franchise history with a 6-2 road victory over the Danbury Hat Tricks Friday night at Danbury Ice Arena. Joey McCormick, Zach White, Joey Colatarci, Dominic Dumas, Scott Swanson, and Brendan Logan each scored a goal for the Thunderbirds in the victory. White led Twin City with four points, recording one goal and three assists. The win marked Jon Buttitta's first regular season victory as Head Coach of the Thunderbirds, and gave Twin City a 1-0-0 record to begin the 2026-2027 season.

Joey McCormick opened the scoring for Twin City at 5:14 of Friday's opening period. McCormick's goal was netted even-strength, and was assisted by Dominic Dumas and Jack Johansen. Zach White doubled the Thunderbirds' advantage just over two minutes later with an even-strength goal at 7:31 of the 1st period. Brendan Logan and Joey McCormick each recorded an assist on the scoring play. Joey Colatarci extended Twin City's lead to three goals with a powerplay goal at 8:51 of the opening period. Colatarci's goal was assisted by Zach White and Zach Papapetros. Dominic Dumas netted the fourth goal of the period for the Thunderbirds at 14:47. Dumas' goal was scored on the powerplay, and was assisted by Joey Colatarci and Zach Papapetros. Twin City outshot Danbury by a 21-14 margin during Friday's opening period, and entered the 2nd period with a 4-0 lead.

Danbury's Genaro Fronduto scored the only goal of Friday's middle period just fifty-two seconds after the opening faceoff. Fronduto's goal was scored on the powerplay, and was assisted by Stefan Miklakos and Conor Witherspoon. The scoring play cut Twin City's advantage to three goals. Neither team recorded another goal during the remainder of the period. The Thunderbirds were outshot by a 19-12 margin during the 2nd period, but maintained a 4-1 advantage entering the final period of Friday's season opener.

Scott Swanson restored the Thunderbirds' four-goal advantage just twenty-five seconds into the 3rd period. Swanson's goal was netted even-strength, and was assisted by Zach White and Jacob Schnapp. Danbury's Genaro Fronduto scored his second goal of the night at 8:50 of the final period. Fronduto's even-strength goal was assisted by Stefan Miklakos and Conor Witherspoon, bringing the Hat Tricks within three goals. Brendan Logan netted the final goal of Friday's matchup at 18:33 of the 3rd period to secure a 6-2 victory for Twin City. Logan's goal was scored even-strength, and was assisted by Zach White and Jacob Schnapp. The Thunderbirds outshot Danbury by a 16-11 margin during the 3rd period, and held a 49-44 shots on goal advantage during the contest.

Alex Aslanidis recorded the win in goal for Twin City in a 42-save-on-44-shot performance. Kyle Penton dropped the decision in net for Danbury, making 43 saves on 49 shots during Friday's matchup.

Zach White was named the 1st Star of Friday night's game after recording one goal and three assists for the Thunderbirds. Teammate Dominic Dumas collected 2nd Star honors with a goal and an assist, while Danbury's Genaro Fronduto was named the 3rd Star after scoring both goals for the Hat Tricks. Friday's season opener was played in front of a crowd of 2,027 at Danbury Ice Arena.

The Thunderbirds will return to action tomorrow night for the second game of their opening weekend series against the Danbury Hat Tricks at Danbury Ice Arena. Saturday's matchup is scheduled to begin at 7:00pm ET, and will be on streamed live on YouTube, Facebook, with coverage also available on WTOB Radio and Triad Talk Network (TTN).

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.