On paper, last Thursday night’s matchup at Peaks Arena in Provo between the Park City High School hockey team and the Utah County Independent South team looked like an epic showdown akin to what went down at the O.K. Corral on Oct. 26, 1881.

After all, UCI South was last season’s state independent (meaning their players come from schools without hockey programs) champion, and the Miners were coming off a dominating win over the Alta Hawks two weeks prior.

But when the dust settled on this Oct. 11 game, it was as if the Earp brothers were packing assault rifles with hollow-point shells and the McLaurys brought Air Soft guns. Park City crushed UCI 9-0.

The gunfight reference is apropos, as shots on goal are a telling stat in most hockey games. This one was no different — the Miners had 61 shots on goal to the Lone Wolves’ 15.

Park City head coach Aaron Dufford is pushing his team to force the style of game this season.

“It’s important to take ‘our game’ to them,” he explained afterwards. “You remember, in the movie ‘Miracle,’ coach Herb Brooks saying, ‘Play your game. Play your game.’ We took our game to UCI South right off the bat and didn’t look back.”

You could say that. From the opening puck drop, the No. 1 line of junior center August Masquelier and wings Noah Pranschke (junior) and Will Radovan (sophomore) kept the puck in the Lone Wolves’ zone their entire first shift. For the period, it felt like the ice was tilted into the UCI defensive zone.

The scoring opened on a tap-in during a scrum in front of the Lone Wolf net. Junior center Carson Walker and sophomore wing Nixon Barber combined for the goal/assist at the 10:20 mark.

Then the No. 1 line took over, combining for the next four goals and more points than a fantasy football league sponsored by Red Bull. At the 2:19 mark of the first, Masquelier took a feed from Pranschke and scored. They repeated the feat two minutes later with just six seconds left in the period. Park City put an incredible 25 shots on goal in the period. You could say the Wolves goalie was vulcanized (referring to the process of curing puck rubber). Miners 3, UCI South 0 after one.

That No. 1 line hogged all the stats in the second period as well, cycling behind the net and getting more scoring opportunities than Matt Barkley on the USC campus. For the game the trio combined for 11 points in goals and assists. In the second, their hard work paid off with Pranschke scoring on a feed from Radovan at the 10:39 mark of the second. Masquelier then dined on a feed from Radovan at the 5:22 mark. Miners 5, UCI 0 after two.

Thus far, the Lone Wolves had mustered just 14 shots on Brent O’Connell, the Park City goalie. O’Connell could be seen sitting down in the crease and working on his AP Physics homework throughout much of the game. At this point, the Miners had 39 shots and five goals.

The third period was even worse. Senior defenseman Bryant Lo Re summed it up afterwards, “We really didn’t have to do much back there.” If you don’t believe him, know that UCI mustered but a single shot on goal in the third to Park City’s 22.

In the third, the No. 1 line, obviously worn out from bumping gloves after goals and assists, let the rest of the team do some scoring. Park City’s passing Sederman, Casey, took a feed from junior defenseman Robbie Derber, shot and then followed his own rebound for a sweet goal at the 8:59 mark in the third. Then another Miner newcomer, sophomore Sam Groves, decided to go end to end for Park City’s seventh goal at 8:21. As the game wound down, Lo Re ripped a slap shot from the point after a feed from Radovan for a goal with 1:32 left. Then Sederman set up sophomore wing Nixon Barber for a goal at the final siren. Final 9-0 Park City.

Dufford liked the way Park City forced the issue. He wants to keep forcing it.

“At times last year we stepped on the ice and waited for the opposing team to dictate the play and the tempo,” he explained. “This year we are only going to worry about us and what we can do as a team. We’re going to dictate how each game is played.”

The next time you can see that dictating style is one week from today, Wednesday, Oct. 24, when the Miners return home to a rocking Park City Ice Arena to face the Riverton Silver Wolves. Home game start times this season are scheduled for 7 p.m.