GRANITE CITY • It was hardly a thrill-a-minute nailbiter, but Tuesday's 12-0 win over Belleville West did serve a purpose for the Granite City hockey team.
The Warriors (7-1) got to test their depth against an overmatched Maroons squad, which dropped to 0-10.
"We always start with our lines intact and then when we get a few goals ahead, we might mix it up," Granite City coach Scott Topal said. "A lot of our big scorers were passing the puck, trying to get the other guys a chance to score.
"We had two kids -- Ryan Reader and Jacob Niles-Smith -- score their first varsity goal. Some of the other freshmen had some good scoring opportunities and a lot of playing time."
Granite City shot to a 2-0 lead in the first 5 minutes, 33 seconds as took Matt Burton and Reader skated in for goals.
From there, the floodgates opened. The Warriors got goals from Riley Vanyo, Brad Stone and Reader within a three-minute span, and a score by Zach Boland boosted Granite City's lead to 6-0 before the period ended.
"We have a great group of kids and a lot of good hockey players," said Topal, whose squad won the MVCHA Class 2A championship last season. "We picked up four seniors and an eighth-grader from the (now-defunct Granite City) Mid-States team, but they all knew each other from high school and a lot of them played club hockey together, so it was a pretty smooth transition."
The pace slowed in the second period, but the Warriors still got a power play goal from Ryan Tinsley and a shorthanded goal by Brant Takmajian, making it 8-0.
"In a game like this, we look to the guys that don't usually get to contribute as much in the bigger games," Takamajian said. "We want to give them a chance to play and let them get better."
A power play goal by Niles-Smith, put Granite City bumped the lead to 9-0 early in the third period. Takmajian scored the next two goals to complete a hat trick, and Ian Veizer scored the final goal with 19 seconds remaining.
"I worked on everything over the offseason and everything is starting to click for me," Takmajian said. "I have really high expectations for this team -- we want another championship."
Granite City's backup goalie Jon Wojtowicz picked up the shutout in his second start of the season.
