The visiting Powell River Kings pummeled the Chilliwack Chiefs in their BCHL Showcase opener Saturday night, taking a 6-1 decision at Prospera Centre.
Ryan Scarfo had a three-point night for the Kings, who scored three in the first and rolled to an easy victory.
Powell River’s first goal, scored at 12:52, was the luckiest of the night.
Big blueliner Brian Rideout wristed a just-put-it-on-net shot from the left point. The puck was heading wide right when it hit the leg of Chiefs defender Eric Roberts, sneaking past goaltender Josh Halpenny.
Just 13 seconds later, J.J. Coleshaw darted down the right side and feathered a cross-crease pass to Scarfo. Halpenny couldn’t get post to post fast enough to thwart the 19-year-old Massachusetts native, who put his crew up by two.
Scarfo picked up another at 17:14, putting Chilliwack in a three-goal hole heading to the middle frame.
Shots on goal through 20 minutes favoured the Kings 16-10.
Powell River piled on more misery in the second period, scoring two quick ones to push their lead to five.
The first came on an unassisted strike by defenceman Jeremy Leclerc, who beat a partially-screened Halpenny on a shot from the left point. The second belonged to Michigan native Drew Dorantes, who took a two-on-one feed from Scarfo, cut cross-crease and slid a backhander past the Chilliwack stopper.
Halpenny kept it from getting worse moments later, turning in a highlight reel stop on Coleshaw, who was left alone in front for a point-blank bang-bang chance.
The Chiefs finally got on the board with 1:10 remaining in period two.
Defenceman Kiefer McNaughton got the assist, throwing the puck into a crowd in front of the Powell River net.
Rookie Andrew Silard got his stick on it, and raised his arms as the puck trickled past Kings keeper Jonah Imoo.
Shots favoured the Kings 14-10 in the middle frame, and they kept coming in the third.
Kurt Keats restored Powell River’s five-goal cushion midway through the third period, one-timing a cross-ice feed from Jarid Lukosevicius.
The Kings cruised to the final whistle, with a final shots on goal edge of 47-23.
The three stars were Scarfo (first), Dorantes (second) and Matt Scarth (Powell River, third).
The Fortis BC Energy Player of the Game was Powell River’s Kurt Keats.
The Chiefs are back in action tomorrow night, with a 6 p.m. faceoff against the Vernon Vipers on the main ice sheet at Prospera Centre.
