The Hawkesbury Knights opened their first season last weekend on Saturday, September 7th, to a ruckus crowd at the Robert Hartley Sports Complex. Over 250 fans were on hand to take in player introductions, witness the first-ever USPHL Premier goal scored outside of the United States, and take in a convincing 7-2 win over the Montreal BlackVees.
Alexis Roy led the way for the Knights with a hat trick and an assist, along with Samuel Bunel and Gabriel Francois who both contributed a goal and 2 assists.
Just 6 days later, the Knights welcomed College Universel Gatineau. This contest was much more closely contested as Gatineau forward Derek Petitpas scored twice in the first two periods. Trailing 2 -1 after 40 minutes, the Knights took advantage of Petitpas’ lack of discipline and scored 3 times, including the game winner off the stick of forward David Caya, leading the Knights to a 4-2 win.
The very next day, the Knights travelled to Anjou’s Chenier Arena for their first game on the road against the BlackVees. In a complete reversal of fortune, the BlackVees won handily 7-2, an identical score to September 7th. David Caya scored for the second time in 2 games in a losing effort.
Coach Anderson was a bit concerned post-game on Saturday, but chalked up the loss to a lack of adrenaline and fatigue. “The boys had energy to start, but it started to fall off quickly. There will be a lot of back to back situations this season, so we’ll chalk this one up as a learning experience, and get ready for next Saturday and Sunday against Somang.”
If the battle between Somang and Le Sommet Faucons are any indicator, this weekend should be filled with some good hockey from both clubs.