HATFIELD—North Penn picked up where it left off Wednesday night. Coming off two straight Class AA Flyers Cup title, the Knights started their 2026-27 campaign in fine fashion with a 3-1 win over Central Bucks East at Hatfield Ice.

Three different North Penn players scored goals and while this season’s version of Knights may not have the firepower of their immediate predecessors, and veteran Sam Norton didn’t dress due to a suspension, the players on the ice Thursday night filled their roles efficiently.

“I was proud of everybody,” said senior forward Declan Leahy. “We know we’re going to get every other team’s best game, so we’ve got to bring our best game every game.”

North Penn coach Matt Stella was making his debut behind the bench.

“I was very happy with how we played today,” he said. “The first two periods, we played exactly how we wanted to. I feel like in the third, we kind of let up a little bit, but we closed it out. I’m very happy with how we played.”

Leahy scored the game’s first goal 8:47 into the opening period when Chris Silvotti sent him in on a breakaway. Briggs Hostetter made it a 2-0 game 77 seconds later.

East goaltender Cam Young kept his team in the game in the opening session; he turned aside 15 of 17 shots.

“We played an incredible goalie over there,” Stella said of Young. “We’ve played him the past three years, and he’s always given us tough games.”

Nolan Little who assisted on Hostetter’s goal. got one of his own during a power play with 3:02 left in the second period. The Patriots’ Matteo Vecchione was in the box at the time, serving one of five East penalties that gave North Penn four power play chances.

But East (0-1) made things interesting when Ben Dempsey beat Aidan Quigley with a wrister from the high slot 4:24 into the third frame. Quigley stood tall the rest of the way.

Stella stressed the importance of this year’s North Penn team creating its own identity.

“Every team that comes in is a new team,” he said. “We have to play our game. That’s something we’re going to preach; playing our game this team’s game. We’re not going to worry about last year. We don’t talk about last year’s team or two years ago.

A young Patriot team stayed competitive after their rocky start.

“Getting going was a little rough,” East coach Tom Mitchell. “We only had one scrimmage {before Wednesday night} and the other thing is we have a lot of freshmen. We like the class we have, the freshman.

“The tough part for me is trying to get them acclimated to the speed.”

Mitchell saluted the efforts of freshman Greyson Fosteer, who assisted on his team’s goal.

“He was making all the plays and having really good shifts,” Mitchell said. “He had some hits and he won some faceoffs against one of their better players.”

C.B. East 0 0 1—1

North Penn 2 1 0—3

First-period goals: Declan Leahy (NP) from Chris Silvotti, 8:47; Briggs Hostetter (NP) from Nolan Little and Declan Baker, 9:54

Second-period goal: Little (NP) from Ismael Cabrales and Chris Silvotti, 13:58 (pp)

Third-period goal: Ben Dempsey (CBE) from Joseph Rhett Walter and Greyson Foster, 4:24

Shots: C.B. East 43, North Penn 23; Saves: Cameron Young (CBE) 40, Aidan Quigley (NP) 22