Worcester's Jenkins goes for third straight hat trick

Blade Jenkins of the Worcester Railers will try to become only the fifth player in ECHL history to score three or more goals in three straight games when the Railers host Maine tonight at 7:05 p.m. ET.

The 23-year-old scored three goals in the Railers’ 6-2 win at Trois-Rivières on Friday before netting another hat trick in a 6-4 victory over the Lions on Saturday. Jenkins enters tonight’s game on a four-game goal streak (8g) and a seven-game point streak (11g-4a).

The last time an ECHL player had three goals or more in three consecutive games was 1997 when Steve Gibson of Wheeling scored three goals against Johnstown on March 16, three goals at Peoria on March 18 and four goals against Columbus on March 21. 

Brian Martin of Hampton Roads was the first player to score a hat trick in three straight games, accomplishing the feat in 1989 on Dec. 9 against Nashville, Dec. 10 against Virginia and Dec. 12 against Knoxville. The record was tied by Trent Kaese of Columbus in 1992 and Darryl Noren of Charlotte in 1994.  

Thirteen players, including Jenkins, have scored hat tricks in back-to-back games since Gibson tied the record with the last prior to this season being Newfoundland’s Pavel Gogolev, who tallied consecutive hat tricks on April 8 and 9, 2023 against Trois-Rivières. Utah’s Josh Dickinson tallied consecutive hat tricks on Oct. 16, 2019 against Wichita and on Oct. 18, 2019 at Allen; Rapid City’s Mikhail Stefanovich tallied consecutive hat tricks on Dec. 8, 2015 against Wichita and on Dec. 11, 2015 against Quad City; Brampton’s Chad Painchaud scored had four goals on Feb. 13, 2015 and three goals on Feb. 14, 2015 at Rapid City; Shane Harper of Trenton had three goals against Wheeling on March 22 and 23, 2013; Utah’s Colin Vock had back-to-back hat tricks at Ontario on Feb. 1 and 2, 2013; J.M. Daoust of Cincinnati tallied three goals on Dec. 16, 2007 against Johnstown and on Dec. 19, 2007 against Wheeling; Dusty Jamieson of Charlotte scored three goals on Oct. 20 and 21, 2006 against Wheeling; Miguel Delisle of Idaho scored three goals in consecutive games against Bakersfield on Dec. 17 and 19, 2004; Andrew Williamson of Toledo scored three goals in consecutive games on Feb. 9, 2001 at Johnstown and had four goals on Feb. 10, 2001 at Johnstown. Williamson led the league with 63 goals in 1999-2000 and 52 goals in 2000-01.  

In a six-game span in 1999-2000, Jay Murphy of Louisiana scored four hat tricks, including back-to-back games on March 12 against Birmingham and March 17 against Jacksonville, and had two goals in the other two games. Paul Strand of Raleigh scored five goals on Jan. 17, 1998 against Roanoke and had three goals on Jan. 23, 1998 at Hampton Roads.