Knights rally to top rival Hawks

WASILLA — The Houston Hawks brought their game to face off, but the Colony Knights rallied for a 3-1 win Friday at the Curtis D. Menard Memorial Sports Center.

“Houston came out smart tactically,” Colony head coach Jamie Smith said. “We finally got to them in the second period and they ran out of gas with such a short bench.”

Starting off the season with their first officiated game, Houston skated strong and nearly scored within the first five minutes against the Knights, who were playing in their fifth game. Referees waved off the goal.

However, minutes later into the first period, Houston the puck in the net. Playing the perimeter of the offensive zone during a power play, Jaden Sears passed along the blue line to Jon Ball, who arched a shot over the Colony goaltender’s shoulder.

Most of the first from that point on was spent in the Hawks’ zone, but the Knights failed to get many shots off.

In the second period, the Hawks again came out fast and started the period with momentum. The second was a battle for both teams, and the anticipation for another goal was finally broken by Colony forward Jacob Link, who was in front of the Houston net when the puck came out from the corner. Less than 30 seconds later, Curtis Foster snapped a shot that went in Houston’s top shelf. Freshman Gunner Stadem picked up the assist.

A little worn down, the Hawks held off the Knights in the third period. With three minutes left in the game, Mark Thygeson was waiting in front of Houston’s net unattended when Jacob Kirsch passed him the puck. The Knights scored, leaving Colony with the victory

Houston goaltender Rhys Jones stopped 22 shots while Colony goalie Colton Beebe had 14 saves. Houston head coach Mike Styers said he was very pleased with how his team played, despite the absence of four players from his bench.

“We were tired and it showed late,” Styers said. “I’m pleased with our first game. We made a few mistakes that cost us goals, but they were little things that we have the rest of the season to work on.”

Contact the Frontiersman sports department at 352-2273 or sports@frontiersman.com.