Sean Og O'Hailpin won it for Cork with the last puck of the game as the Leesiders defeated Kilkenny by 1-10 to 0-12 in their Allianz NHL Division 1B clash at Pairc Ui Chaoimh.
In a scrappy game, Cork took an early 4-1 lead, but scores from Stephen Grehan and Henry Shefflin meant the game was tied at six points each at half time.
After the interval, Charlie McCarthy and Seanie McGrath swapped points, before McGrath got Cork's goal on the 41st minute.
Kilkenny rallied and the game was level at 1-9 to 0-12 before O'Hailpin intervened to hand the home side the points.