The Santa Barbara Royals Ice Hockey team kicked off its 12th season with a 6-1 victory over the Kern County Knights of Bakersfield on Saturday at Ice in Paradise in Goleta.
The Royals, which is a team made up of high school players from all around Santa Barbara, also raised their championship banner from last year’s LA Kings High School Hockey League title.
After a back-and-forth first period, the Royals jumped ahead 2-1 in the second period. They dominated the rest of the matchup, rattling off five unanswered goals to pull away for the win.
The Santa Barbara senior trio of Primo Steavo, Noal Vasquez and Dean Wendel led the charge in the season-opening win. Steavo and Vasquez each scored three goals, while Wendel only let one shot past him at the goalie position,
Meanwhile, Charlie Lovette and Lou Wendel added points, and both Lorenzo Swiatek and Gavin Fernandez found the back of the net.
