The Panago Peewee A Tyees began the defence of their Vancouver Island Tier 2 title by whipping the Oceanside Generals 8-2 on Sunday at Rod Brind’Amour Arena.
It was the playoff opener in the North Island Division, which also includes Port Alberni and Powell River.
The Tyees had their powerplay operating in high gear, scoring five times with the man advantage as Oceanside took 38 minutes in penalties.
Cory Bukauskas wasted no time getting the party started, scoring less than three minutes into the first period after a set-up by Marcellus Wilson. The Tyees led 2-0 after the opening frame and 6-1 after two.
Brett Stapley led the attack with a hat trick while Tyler Dickson added a pair of goals. Maddision Devlin and Sage Lim also tallied for the winners. Devlin and Andy Stevens each contributed three assists.
The Tyees continue opening round playoff action with a pair of games this weekend. They host the Port Alberni Bulldogs at Rod Brind’Amour Arena on Saturday at 6:15 p.m., and travel to Powell River on Sunday for a meeting with the Kings.
“We’ll definitely need more effort against Port Alberni and Powell River,” said Stapley. “These teams finished ahead of Oceanside in the standings and we can’t afford to take them for granted. Anything can happen in the playoffs and we need to be at our very best every game.”