Gorham built a massive early lead against visiting Bonny Eagle/Massabesic/Old Orchard Beach on Thursday afternoon – 8-0 after just one period, including a natural hat trick for Travis Mansir, a pair each for Jordan Ward and Carter Landry and a shotgun blast of assists. Mansir eventually added a fourth as the Rams sailed to victory, 10-1.

“I was actually thinking it would be a tighter game,” said Gorham head coach Jon Portwine. “I’ve known a lot of the kids that are over there on that side for a while, a lot of the Bonny Eagle kids, and they’re good hockey players.

“I wasn’t expecting us to come out the way that we did, and that’s something I’m very happy with.”

Gorham, now 7-1 on the year, continues to play strong hockey. They sit comfortably in B West’s third slot, behind Camden Hills in first and Kennebunk in second. The former dealt the Rams their only loss thus far, a 2-0 defeat to open the season, while Gorham has yet to butt heads with the latter. That clash takes place at the end of the regular season.

The Mob slips to 2-7. They face continued struggles, but have picked up a pair of heartening wins – one at Marshwood/Traip and another at home against Lake Region/Fryeburg/Oxford Hills. The team is ranked ninth in A West, and lingers just outside the playoff bracketing, looking in. Of course, the season isn’t even half done.

Rams defenseman Matt Hooker began the assault a mere 18 seconds after play kicked off, assisted by Ward and Adam Peterson. Landry then needed just under two more minutes to make it 2-0, picking up a Jake Bear pass, beating the Mob defense high in the offensive zone and pinging a wrister past keeper Mat Bridges from between the top of the faceoff circles.

Gorham ran away with the action from there: Mansir added two quick goals for 4-0, then Ward two and Landry another. Finally, with 1:57 to play – and on the penalty kill – Mansir capped his hat trick. Unassisted, he broke away up the center for a successful one-on-one with Bridges.

“We moved the puck a lot better in the first period than we have in any other game,” Portwine said.

The Mob logged a significantly stronger second period. The Rams continued to dominate play, and battered Bridges with shots, but the Mob keeper seemed to have found his mojo during intermission. He predicted much better and tracked the puck almost flawlessly.

Gorham added a ninth notch – Michael Chapin, waiting inside, slid the puck quickly home when Landry shoveled it out from behind the net – but they did it early, just two minutes in, and then fell silent.

The Mob also generated a handful more quality attacks in those middle 15 minutes. Braden Roy turned a nice takeaway from Hooker near center ice into a one-on-one with Rams goalie Brogan McDonald – but the talented freshman repelled the shot no problem.

Though Portwine didn’t exactly sit his starters in that time, he did skate his younger players more, and also experimented with different strategies, mixing up the team’s approach to explore their bag of tricks.

“We played with our lines a little bit,” said Portwine, “did some different things, breakout-wise, some things we’ve been working on in practice. And the top two didn’t get as much ice time as they’re used to; the third line I ran pretty much every other shift.”

The third period unfolded similarly to the one that’d gone before. Mansir added his fourth in the early minutes, and the Mob continued applying occasional pressure. They finally converted, too, on a scramble in front of the Rams’ net. Cameron Roy punched the puck in, assisted by Tanner McClure, spoiling McDonald’s shutout and setting the 10-1 final.

“It was exceptional to see our guys come out and really get after it, work hard, bear down,” Portwine said. “This is probably the first time all season we’ve come out like that in the first period.”

Ten different Rams had goals, assists, or both in the game, another number that Portwine finds satisfying.

“Our first line can score; our second line has really come on since the Greely game,” he said. “They’ve played phenomenal. They have gelled better than I could have hoped. The third line is the line I’m looking to get a little more offensive production from, if I can; they do their job very well, the offense just hasn’t been there. That’s something we’re trying to add.”

Gorham has five days off before they collide with A West’s Scarborough on Wednesday, Jan. 14. The Mob, meanwhile, lost 4-3 to Edward Little on Saturday the 10th, then takes a week off before hosting Westbrook on the 17th.

Gorham’s Adam Peterson and Bonny Eagle’s Travis Marsh circle one another in their teams’ matchup on Thursday.The Rams’ Travis Mansir shuttles one of his four goals past MOB keeper Mat Bridges. Mansir’s first three came as a natural hat trick in the opening period.Gorham’s Michael Chapin heads for the puck along the boards, pursued by Bonny Eagle’s Chandler Doustou.Bonny Eagle’s Robbie Axelsen dashes up ice; Gorham’s Nate Harvey follows hot on Axelsen’s heels.The Mob’s Chandler Doustou (Bonny Eagle) crosses into his team’s zone to defend.Mob goalie Mat Bridges struggled in the first period of the team’s 10-1 loss to Gorham, but found a groove in the second and third.