Game one was no contest as the Richmond Sockeyes smacked the Aldergrove Kodiaks 7-1 to draw first blood in the Pacific Junior Hockey League championship series.
The Sockeyes scored four times in the first period and never looked back in game one of the best-of-seven playoff series. It was played at the Aldergrove Arena on Wednesday (March 19) night.
Games two and three of the series are at Richmond’s Minoru Arena on March 20 and March 23 before game four returns to the Aldergrove Arena on March 26.
The Sockeyes have home-ice advantage in the series between the PJHL’s top two teams, who were separated by a single point during the 44-game regular season.
John Wesley scored twice in the opening 11 minutes before Matthew Bissett and Liam Lawson rounded out the scoring in the first.
The fourth goal also spelled the end of the night for Kodiaks’ Jordan Liem, who entered the game with both the top goals against average and the top save percentage.
Aldergrove’s Kodi Schwartz got the Kodiaks on the board with a power-play goal 3:25 into the second, but Bissett restored the four-goal lead.
Jacob Wozney and Lawson added power-play goals in the third to complete the scoring.
The Sockeyes power play went 3-for-6 on the night.
