The Bishop Hendricken Hawks outlasted the La Salle Academy Rams, 4-3, in an epic battle at a packed Smithfield Municipal Rink on Friday night.

Hendricken trailed by two goals early before storming back in the second period to tie the game at 3. Then, Andrew Hopgood stole the puck and raced down the ice with the difference-maker.

“The puck came up top and we knew we had to block a shot, that was priority No. 1,” Hopgood said. “When it came out in front, I just took it and went with it and what happened after, I don’t even know what to say.”

Hendricken head coach James Creamer had plenty of compliments for his senior forward, who was playing in his second game this season after finishing up the football season two weeks ago.

“You can’t say enough about Andrew,” Creamer said. “He’s a leader, he’s a winner, and he did that for us tonight. He hasn’t played hockey since last March and he comes out after his Super Bowl win and he did a great job for us.”

Hendricken goaltender Patrick Gribben saw 20 shots on net while La Salle’s Andrew Spencer saw 38.

A hooking penalty on Hopgood just 22 seconds into the game gave La Salle a power play. Forward Rob Doorley capitalized, putting the puck past Gribben after an assist from Ryan Schwender, giving La Salle an early 1-0 advantage with 12:40 remaining in the first period.

Shortly after, Hendricken’s Ben DeFelice, Tyler Brown and Hopgood all fired shots on net, but they were all stopped by Spencer, who was a brick wall in the first period.

A breakaway goal from Logan Liljeberg extended La Salle’s lead to 2-0 with 10:17 left in the opening frame. Forward Matt Ernster and defenseman John Cardi were credited with the assists.

Moments later, Hendricken’s Mike DiMascolo had a chance, but La Salle defenseman Sean Gill laid on the ice and knocked the puck away before DiMascolo could get off a shot.

However, with 6:08 left in the first period, DiMascolo fired again, and this time it deflected off the glove of the La Salle goaltender. Jax Zaroogian corralled the rebound and fed Brown, who scored a power play goal to pull the Hawks within 2-1.

Two minutes later, La Salle got it back when Schwender passed to Alex Newton for a lamplighter, giving La Salle a 3-1 advantage heading into the first intermission.

Early in the second period, DiMascolo had a chance on a fast break after evading his defender, but his backhand attempt was stopped by Spencer. Moments later, Hendricken’s Cam Duprey saw his slap shot hit the goal post. The Hawks stayed on the attack, but the La Salle netminder stopped them all, including a flashy glove save on a shot from Jake Paolino four minutes into the frame.

Down the other end, Gribben came up with two big stops on Cardi and Liljeberg before DiMascolo lit the lamp with a breakaway goal midway through the second period, pulling Hendricken within 3-2.

The Hawks got back on the offensive after the next faceoff, but shots from Shawn Catala, Matt Rickard, Patrick Creamer and Paolino were all stopped by Spencer. Moments later, though, Hendricken went on a power play and tied the game with 4:29 left in the second period on a rebound goal from Dan Cavanagh.

Early in the third period, Spencer denied a shot from Peter Krekorian. Next, Paolino shot a laser that hit the crossbar. Shortly after, Hopgood picked the pocket of Gill before racing down the ice on a fast break and putting it past Spencer with 10:51 left in the game to give Hendricken a 4-3 lead.

“We were down 3-1 and it was definitely a little nerve-racking, but we just knew to keep an even keel and keep going and keep plugging along and just do what we do best,” Hopgood said. “Then, in the third period, we came out and tied it up and we knew we had to do what we had to do and we just went out there and did it.”

The Hawks’ solid defense down the stretch helped them to hold on for the win. The Hawks remained undefeated while handing La Salle its first loss of the season.

“I don’t know if we started slow or if they started super strong,” Hendricken head coach James Creamer said. “They did a nice job, particularly early. I think we played with a lot of energy and emotion and not enough hockey, but I give our guys credit. We were down 2-0, down 3-1, and came back 4-3, so it was a good night for us.”

Gribben, the sophomore goaltender, may have started the game a little timid, but he finished with ice water in his veins.

“Patrick did a great job,” Creamer said. “He’s a great goalie. It’s really his first big high school game he played in. So, I think he might have been a little nervous at the start. He was a resilient kid and he did a great job for us.”

Hendricken improved to 6-0 with another come-from-behind victory at Mount on Saturday night, as Pat Creamer netted a hat trick to keep the Hawks unbeaten.

They’ll travel to Smithfield (3-1) to take on the Sentinels on Friday evening at 8:30 p.m.