The hockey team defeated the Sherwood Warriors 8-2 in its first regular season game Nov. 16 at Cabin John Ice Rink.

The Vikes took the ice at 8 p.m. to “The Boys are Back in Town,” an appropriate song for the return of the team.

Goalie Zach Butler started in net for the Vikings as the puck dropped. Just two minutes and 38 seconds into the game, captain J.M. Hellman carried the puck into the right corner, shuffled back inside and back-handed the puck past Sherwood’s goalie.

Only six seconds after the first goal, captain Lucas Karron added to the Vikes’ lead with a shot that beat the goalie on the left side.

With 10:54 to go in the period, junior Kourosh Ashtary-Yazdi tallied a goal; the first of many that he contributed to the victory. Thanks to impenetrable defense and great stops from Butler throughout the period, the Vikes kept their lead.

In the final minutes of the first period, junior Wyatt Hughes added to the total with a goal making it 4-0 Vikings. Less than two minutes later, Ashtary-Yazdi scored his second goal of the night making it 5-0 as the buzzer sounded to end the first.

The boys simmered down in the second period until Hughes kept the puck in the offensive zone, drove into the left side and passed the puck across the crease to a wide open Ashtary-Yazdi, assisting him for the hat-trick.

With a 6-0 lead, Sherwood struck back with a goal that slid past Butler preventing a shut-out for the junior. Captain Dustin Grey responded quickly and sniped a goal to the top-shelf of the net to make the score 7-1. As the buzzer sounded to end the second period, Sherwood’s goalie and a defender collided, salt in the wound for the Warriors.

The third period started out with anxiety as defender Michael Voehl was checked into the boards and injured; Voehl was able to skate over to the bench for further evaluation. The Vikings capitalized on defensive miscommunication among the Warriors and scored with nearly 10 minutes left in the period.

In the final minutes of the game, Sherwood scored a remarkable goal after a Warrior slid through the Viking defense and sent the puck to the top of the net after tripping on Butler’s stick.

The Vikes tallied their first victory of the season when the horn sounded, and they look to add to their 1-0 record when they take the ice Nov. 19 away against Hagerstown.