HATFIELD – Last night, the North Penn Knights Ice Hockey team (4-2) found some late game mojo against Ghosts of Abington (2-6) in a flourish of late offensive magic, coming out on top 11-4. Led by a sizzling effort by junior Alex Peterson (4 goals, 2 assists) and sophomore netminder Johnny Roberts (30 saves on 34 shots, .882 save PCT), the Knights hit the gas late in the second period and never looked back against an Abington squad that seemed sluggish by the final drop of the puck.

Goals came relatively quick for the Knights, who led the contest 3-1 late in the first period. Captain Ryan Nowicki opened the scoring on the first North Penn powerplay, followed by an Abington equalizer shortly after. Then, Alex Peterson and Jaime Green both found twine two minutes and eleven seconds apart from each other, as the game appeared to play into the Knight’s hands. However, a key shoulder injury to senior defenseman Matt Fox opened the door for an Abington comeback.

The Ghosts formulated a response quickly as they set up goals at the end of the first and start of the second periods to bring the game to an even 3-3 tilt. After ten minutes of tense scrums along the boards up and down the ice, the Knights really began to hit their stride as Alex Peterson clocked his second goal of the night late in the period. From there, goals came many and often; sophomore Jake Heckenburg continued his offensive dominance on the year by tacking on his 7th goal, and defenseman Austin Redilla seized his first goal of the season 35 seconds later. The Knights defense also began to shut down passing lanes and dominate the physical game as they adjusted to a three-man rotation.

Heading into the third, tensions were brewing as the Ghosts grinded to an offensive halt. Fans on the Abington side began to emanate the frustration of the team, and North Penn seized the opportunity to put the game away. Alex Peterson picked up his hat trick off a Jared Barkley pass five minutes into the period, followed by scores by Jake Burns, another by Peterson, Jared Barkley’s first goal of the season and a closer by Andrew Galetta for good measure. Abington picked up one more goal in the third to end a lopsided tilt, 11-4.

Nowicki was pleased with how the defense stepped up later in the game, after losing a key player.

“We were short on defensemen to begin with, so it definitely impacted our playing style,” Nowicki said. “We knew we had to keep it in their zone to keep our legs fresh, and that the forwards were going to have to pick up some slack as well. By the end of the second, we made it work and stood tall the rest of the way.”

The Knights now indulge in a day’s rest before tomorrow night’s game against Council Rock South (3-2-1).