MARLBORO­– St. John’s Prep took charge early and cruised to a 6-1 boys hockey victory over St. John’s Shrewsbury Wednesday to further solidify its standing as the No. 1 team in Division 1.

The Eagles (9-1) had a balanced offensive attack in the matchup, with players from all over the lineup contributing to the scoring sheet. Head coach Kristian Hanson said the depth on the team makes it easier to maintain energy and have energy deep into the game.

“I have faith in all four lines,” Hanson said. “We play them pretty equally. We spread it around today and it’s nice to get a balanced attack.”

The first period had some quick physicality, something that did hurt the Pioneers as it took two penalties. While the first was killed successfully, the Eagles would break through shortly after when Caleb White sniped it to the twine after a passing play involving Cam Umlah and Deuce Morton.

“We had a game plan going in to just get pucks on net, crash the net and go for the rebound,” White said. “That’s what we did, it worked and we just have to keep it going.”

The second power play would provide more glory for the Eagles after Brady Plaza fired a blistering wrist shot past Dante Souza. This would be all the scoring for the period and the Eagles held a 14-7 shot advantage.

The second period started with more Eagle domination. This was highlighted by a nifty passing play that saw Christian Rosa feed Johnny Tighe and the senior rifled it into the net to establish a 3-0 lead.

“My linemates set me up really well,” Tighe said. “Jake (Vana) and Christian (Rosa), they are just so easy to play with and they make me look good.

The Pioneers would take another penalty but would have an effective kill that swung some momentum its way. This paid off when Brady Chenevert finished a rebound and beat Eagles goaltender A.J. Farese to cut the lead to 3-1. The Eagles outshot the Pioneers 13-9 in the frame.

The Pioneers started strong in the third period but a Brendan Powers power play goal put the Eagles up by three once again.

“That was a really important power play goal,” Hanson said. “I they make that 3-2 instead of us making it 4-1, it could be different down the stretch. Special teams win games.”

Tighe and White would add additional daggers to really put the game away and help Saint John’s Prep cruise to the league victory. The win helped the Eagles remain ahead in the Catholic Conference standings, something Tighe said the team is focused on securing this season.

“A goal we’ve had for a long time is to win the Catholic Conference,” Tighe said. “We have a great group of guys and I think we have a great chance at doing it this year.”