With not quite seven minutes gone in the first period, St. Louis Park goalie Ryan Froom already had made 10 stops while his counterpart, Benilde-St. Margaret’s Justin Quale, had yet to see a shot on goal.

It was evident it was only a matter of time before the game got out of hand.

At 9:59, forward Pat Steinhauser snapped a shot past Froom and the floodgates opened, especially for the next two periods.

The Red Knights scored four goals in the first period and a whopping seven in the second. Almost mercifully, they got just one in the third for a final 12-0 victory over the Orioles, who remain winless this season.

“No one really likes a game like this,” Benilde coach Ken Pauly said afterward. “It’s tough on a team like St. Louis Park, which is obviously struggling."

Asked if it was the kind of game he was hoping for to get his team back on the winning path after dropping just their second game of the season last week to defending state champions Edina, Pauly said, “Not really. The kids are resilient and after our loss, within 24 hours they pretty much had put it behind them.

“I’m still pouting, however.”

The Red Knights were led by sophomore forward Grant Besse, who had a hat trick, with all three of his scores coming in the second period. It was Besse’s second hat trick of the year, the previous one coming early last week in the team’s 10-1 rout of Robbinsdale Cooper.

Besse, who now has 24 points following the shutout win, is already garnering attention form several big-time Division I hockey programs.

“I’ve already made an unofficial trip to Wisconsin, and have heard from Harvard, Notre Dame and Michigan Tech,” he said outside the victor’s locker room at the St. Louis Park Rec Center, acknowledging that it is way too early to make a decision.

Pauly said a stretch beginning a week from Saturday that starts with a game at Totino-Grace, followed by more road games at Osseo and Holy Angels, will test his team, which is currently ranked sixth in the state by "Let’s Play Hockey."

Both Pauly and Besse certainly do not see the Red Knights slipping in the poll.

For St. Louis Park, the mission is simply to notch a win. Goaltender Froom certainly did what he could Thursday, making 45 saves in two periods including an incredible 31 in the first. Backup goalie Ryan Nichols played the third and had 15 saves.

The Orioles will be seeking that elusive first victory with a game at Irondale on Saturday. Benilde's next opponent is also Irondale — the two square off on Tuesday.