GRANITE CITY • The Granite City hockey team has all of its weapons back, and the Warriors' firepower was on display Tuesday night.
Nick Sabol, in his second game back from a broken right wrist, scored a goal in the first minute, and the Warriors, the defending MVCHA 2A champions, went on to score seven goals in the first period on the way to an 8-0 win over Belleville East.
"East was missing a lot of kids, but we had a couple kids get their first varsity goal, and the seniors got a lot of playing time," Granite City coach Scott Topal said. "Having Sabol back really helps. It gives us a lot more offensive punch."
East dropped to 4-9, but the Lancers squad that took the ice at Granite City bore little resemblance to the one that defeated Edwardsville 5-0. Five players who were in the lineup for that game - Alec Pellegrino, Connor Court, Nolan Dowling, Alex Hawthorne and Dillon Schmitz - were playing for their various junior teams on Tuesday.
"Monday was the first time in three years we've had a full roster, and it's amazing what a difference it makes," East coach John Thompson said. "Against Edwardsville, everybody did exactly what we needed them to.
"Tonight, our kids were a little shell-shocked early in the game, but I just want them to be competitive. We have a tough schedule, and this tempo will help us get ready for the playoffs. I think we match up pretty well with O'Fallon (the Lancers' first-round opponent)."
Granite City (13-2) took the lead 34 seconds into the game, as Sabol took a pass from Matt Burton on the right wing and beat East goalie John Funk. The second assist went to Ryan Tinsley, another of the nine Warriors honored on Senior Night.
"We're putting all of our power and our individual ability together and making a team out of it," said Sabol, who missed seven games. "We're passing the puck and moving it and hitting the open guy."
Burton scored 25 seconds later, and Bradley Stone's goal, which bounced in off the left post, made the score 3-0 at 2:04 . Brant Takmajian added two goals in a span of 22 seconds, and the Warriors had a 5-0 lead before the game was four minutes old.
"Sabol has been hurt for a good part of the season, and now we're getting him back and getting him in the flow," Burton said. "I'm pretty happy with my offseason. I worked hard in the offseason and now it's paying off."
Tinsley, on a two-on-one break with Sabol, made a nifty move to beat Fink on the left side and gave Granite City a point at the 5:17 mark of the first period. Freshman Cole DeYong's first career goal, assisted by Sabol and Tinsley, made the score 7-0 at 10:25.
Sophomore Eddie Lemmon scored his first career goal at 8:31 in the second period. A scoreless third period helped Granite City goalie Cameron Barton earn a shutout.
"We lost 8-0, but we still had a lot of good things come out of this game," Thompson said. "We were down 7-0 very early, but we scrapped and held them off the last two periods. I'm proud of the kids for finishing the game strong."
