ORONO – The Orono High School hockey team missed the Eastern Maine Class B playoffs by .137 points a year ago. They wear that number on the back of their helmets this season to remind them of that frustration.

They may not need to wear any numbers on the back of their helmets next year.

The Riots scored four goals in the game’s first 4:38 and cruised to an impressive 10-1 win over Stearns of Millinocket at Alfond Arena Wednesday night. Orono is now 4-0 while a rebuilding Stearns team, which lost to Winslow in the EM B finals the previous two years, fell to 0-3.

“This was our best game of the year so far,” said Orono junior right wing Chris Monberg, who opened the scoring with a 45-foot wrist shot 12 seconds into the game and added an assist on Eric Powers’ goal 1:48 later.

“We played a complete game tonight,” said third-year coach Greg Hirsch, who notched his first-ever win over Stearns.

Junior left wing Eric Powers, Monberg’s linemate, had a hat trick, and the third member of the line, junior center Adam Sewall, contributed a goal and two assists.

Noah Lundy had a pair of goals with Tom Hite, Jamie Brooker, and Jake Hedstrom getting the others. All three Riot lines scored at least two goals. Senior goalie Shane Rivers finished with a solid 16-save performance.

Matt Lynch scored for Stearns and Darrin Daniels stopped 37 of 42 shots after relieving starter Travis Cummings (9 shots, 4 saves).

Monberg had told Powers before the game that their line would score on its first shift and it came to fruition when his long wrist shot slipped under Cummings’ stick and through his pads.

“I got lucky,” said Monberg. “We wanted to come out strong. We’ve always been a good third period team, but we had been weak in the first.”

Powers made it 2-0 with a short side wraparound.

“The goalie was in the middle of the crease,” said Powers.

Sewall’s rebound of an Eric Holmes point shot and Hite’s backhander into the far side corner made it 4-0 before Lynch scored from the bottom of the circle.

Brooker, who played for Stearns a year ago, beat Cummings to the far corner with a 30-foot slap shot off a three-on-one and Cummings was replaced by Daniels. Lundy scored on a partial break-in with the first shot on Daniels.

“They’re a real good team,” said Cummings.

Red Riots 10, Minutemen 1

Orono 6 4 0 – 10

Stearns 1 0 0 – 1

First period – 1. Orono, Monberg (Holmes, Sewall), :12; 2. Orono, Powers (Monberg), 2:00; 3. Orono, Sewall (Holmes), 3:43; 4. Orono, Hite (Lundy, Hedrick), 4:38; 5. Stearns, Lynch (Ju. Merry), 4:59; 6. Orono, Brooker (una), 5:29; 7. Orono, Lundy (Hite), 6:16. Penalties – Orono, Powers, interference, 9:05; Orono, Monberg, delay of game, 10:16

Second period – 8. Orono, Lundy (Holmes), 3:18; 9. Orono, Powers (Sewall), 8:10; 10. Orono, Powers (Sleight), 8:20; 11. Orono, Hedstrom (Brooker), 9:51. Penalties – Stearns, Buzzell, holding, 12:22.

Third period – No scoring. Penalties – Stearns, Bouchard, cross checking, 2:28; Stearns, Dickinson, hitting from behind, 3:21; Orono, Brooker, slashing, 7:24; Orono, Gordon, roughing, 9:20; Stearns, Ouellette, roughing, 9:20; Stearns, Ju. Merry, high sticking, 13:26; Stearns, Ouellette, roughing and 10-minute misconduct

Shots on goal: Orono 15-20-16 – 51; Stearns 10-4-3 – 17

Goaltenders: Orono, Shane Rivers; Stearns, Travis Cummings (9 shots, 4 saves), Darrin Daniels (42-37, 5:29 of 1st)

Power plays: Orono 0-5, Stearns 0-3