Knights silence the dawgs

JEREMIAH BARTZ

Sports Editor

WASILLA -- Hockey can be a physical game, and often a physical presence brings success. Often, but not always.

Colony and Lathrop proved Thursday night there is a difference between smart and physical play and playing tough and stupid.

The Knights capitalized on the power play, scoring with the man advantage twice in a 4-1 victory, while Lathrop showed its uncanny ability to find the penalty box.

The Malemutes failed to outshoot or score the Knights, but did top Colony with 52 penalty minutes, compared to the Knights' 28.

Logan Huppert and Scott Beckman each scored with the man advantage. Colony had nine opportunities with the extra skater including a four-minute span on the power play early in the third period.

"After we scored they started getting agitated," Colony captain Garrett Wilkins, who assisted on Beckman's score, said. "They started getting more penalties."

Colony took a 1-0 lead 53 seconds into the first period. Freshman Blake Huppert won a face off in Lathrop's end and shifted the puck over to winger Chris Arentz who buried the puck in the corner of the net. Huppert gave the Knights the two-goal advantage five minutes later, after taking a Ryan Pauling drop pass and putting the puck stickside, in the net.

On the play, Teemu Maki sent a pass across the front of the crease, and Pauling popped the puck back to Huppert, who stood at the point.

Maki also registered on Beckman's goal. Late in the game, Maki took a pass from Wilkins and while he was drug to the ice by a Lathrop blueliner, Maki shifted the puck to Beckman, to set up the goal.

The only consistent pressure Lathrop could apply in the game, came with a rush of power play shots in the second period. Colony, with a dose of sin bin homesickness, took three penalties in the first five minutes of the second period, giving the Malemutes three straight power plays. Lathrop outshot Colony 17-6 in the period, registering most of its shots in the first five minutes.

Lathrop's only goal came on a deflection past goaltender Tyrel Henkel, who played another stellar game in net for the Knights. Just prior to Lathrop's only score, Colony forward Austin Manelick blasted a Lathrop blueliner on a highlight reel-worthy check near the boards and in the commotion, the puck bounced off a Knight player into the net.