Maybe it was the comeback. Maybe it was the late nature of the goals. Maybe it was the extra-time drop off. Maybe it was the defusing of penalty corners after separate sirens. Maybe it was multiple players being carded at the same time. Maybe it was the four previous losses against the same opponents and seven straight showdowns together. Maybe it was the sum of all its parts.

Saturday's Hunter Coast Premier Hockey League grand final was an epic encounter, Norths ultimately rallying to edge out rivals Gosford 4-3.

Down 3-1 late in proceedings, the Blues equalised and forced extra-time before 18-year-old Ryan Woolnough scored the winner just when the 2022 title showdown looked destined for a shootout.

"That's probably one of the best games of any team I've been involved in," Willott told the Newcastle Herald amid the celebrations.

"To go like that ... there was just something about it."

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Norths, who opened the scoring via Josh Bruton in the 18^th minute, conceded three straight either side of half-time.

It was still 3-1 when Rory Walker's penalty stroke was saved early in the fourth quarter and the longer play continued with Gosford's two-goal advantage, the more it shaped as a game-defining moment.

"Unfortunately Rory missed that stroke and you think maybe not today. The guts our boys showed to dig deep," Willott said.

They drew level with back-to-back efforts in the closing stages of regular time after Lloyd Radcliffe, Lain Carr (Gosford) and Rory Walker (Norths) had all returned from time off the field.

Tom Budden made it 3-2 with around two-and-a-half minutes left on the clock before Bruton converted a short corner just over 60 seconds later.

Norths keeper Eamon Smith produced a clutch stop from a Gosford short corner after the full-time hooter had sounded.

Twelve minutes of extra-time followed, not golden goal, with the first half nine-a-side and the other six-on-six.

Woolnough, a grand final rookie, replaced veteran Matt Wark in central defence but a high press saw him in space and a strike from the top of the circle all-but sealed the deal with under two minutes remaining.

Gosford again lined up a penalty corner at the death, but this time around they were unable to get a shot away.

"Pretty gutted. When you've got a 3-1 lead it's pretty upsetting that you had that opportunity. There's also a lot of fuel for next year," Gosford's Hugh Wickert said.

Norths hadn't held aloft the trophy since 2016, now ending Gosford's unprecedented run of four straight majors (2017-2020).

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