The Vikings hockey team took a tough 10-0 loss in their season opener Friday against the Churchill Bulldogs.

The Vikes were playing under tough conditions with starting goalie Matt Derry and starting forward Sam Dexter both unable to attend the game due to scheduling conflicts with their non-Whitman hockey teams.

Churchill got off to a hot start with thier first goal two minutes into the game. The Bulldogs rode this momentum, scoring four more times before the first period ended leaving the score 5-0.

The second period started similarly, with a goal three minutes in. The offensive barrage never let up, with Churchill scoring three more times to leave the second period 9-0.

In the third period the Vikings defense locked down and played a much more effective game.  They allowed only one goal in the final period.  The final goal came from Churchill forward Jacob Arden, who scored a hat trick.

The Vikes are hoping to regain their footing by simplifying their game plan and improving their strategies during practice, wing Ben Barrett said.

“We want to have a hard week of practice and focus on running a simple game next Friday against Sherwood,” he said.