After last week’s lineup shakeup, the Dark Knights were back to their regular faces in each position, with one exception — Brian Ireland sat out to give his knee a much-needed rest. Right wing ran short-handed as a result, with Rachel Mathison and Jeffrey Hanson logging heavy minutes to keep the position covered.
A Rough Twenty Minutes
The game got off to a rough start. Red Squadron found the back of the net three times in the first period alone, and more than a few of those chances came courtesy of Red skaters parked deep near the Dark Knights’ blue line like they’d discovered an orchard back there and were just waiting for something to fall. Down 3-0 after twenty minutes, the Dark Knights had their work cut out for them.
All Shots, No Answers
The Knights answered back with a serious jump in pace. The second period saw the Dark Knights pour on 16 shots to Red Squadron’s 4, controlling play and pinning Red in their own end for long stretches. The problem was Jan, standing on her head in the Red Squadron net and turning away shot after shot. The Dark Knights broke through once to make it 4-1, but the flood of chances deserved better than a single goal to show for it.
The Usual
The third period brought the Dark Knights’ usual late push, with Tabitha Knight and Jeffrey Hanson each finding the net to pull the score to a respectable 2-2 over the final frame. There was also a bit of bonding in the box, as Dawne and Grif served time together — presumably catching up on how each other’s day was going.
It also wouldn’t be a Dark Knights game without a healthy pile of penalty minutes, and this one delivered on brand, with 12 minutes across four infractions, sending the Knights to the top of the charts, with as many penalties as the rest of the league combined.
In the end, the deficit from that first period was too much to erase, but there was plenty to feel good about. The Dark Knights outshot Red Squadron 30-25 for the game, killed off all four Red Squadron power plays, and once again saved their best hockey for the third period. Lacy Taghon made 19 saves in net, and Tabitha Knight paced the offense with a two-goal, one-assist performance.