It took all of nine seconds for Lucas McGregor to remind everyone that he is indeed a special player.

McGregor kicked off Centennial’s 6-2 win with a goal at the 16:51 mark of the first period and it was off the races for the Cougars, who saw five players tally goals in the win on Friday night at Centennial Ice Arena.

“He’s a Mr. Hockey candidate in our mind, and he could win the whole thing as far as I’m concerned,” Centennial assistant coach Ted Cheesebrough said after the win.  

“If the bad guys want to key on him, great, because we got a boat-load of other (contributors),” Cheesebrough said of McGregor’s ability to draw a defense’s attention and create opportunities for other players without touching the puck.  

One of those contributors was senior forward Carter Wagner, who recorded two goals and added an assist in the win for the Cougars (1-0).  

Joining McGregor and Wagner in the scoring barrage were Hayden Brickner, Joshua Hermes, and Jack Menne, all of whom scored in the first two periods of the win. 

Roseau (1-1) took advantage of a pair of Centennial penalties to score twice in the second frame, with Alex Verbout and Nathan Adrian paring the Cougars’ lead to 6-2. 

“We went to the box too much, but that’s something we can correct and something we’re going to talk about,” Cheesebrough said. 

The Cougars, ranked No. 6 in the latest Class 2A state coaches’ poll, took a total of 12 penalties in the win.

Youth Hockey Hub staff member Spencer St. Dennis contributed to this story.