With the No. 6 ranked team in the Class AA coaches’ poll coming to the St. Thomas Ice Arena, No. 18 St. Thomas Academy picked the best time for their second shutout of the season.

In dominant fashion, The Cadets (6-2-1) thumped Wayzata 5-0 on Tuesday night, outshooting the Trojans 41-21 in the process.

“We knew we had a decent team,” Cadets co-head coach Tom Vanelli said after the game. “We just needed to start believing it and take advantage of some of the opportunities that we’re getting.”

Sophomore forward Payton Matsui scored two goals for the Cadets, with senior defenseman Jason Smallidge, sophomore forward Chase Foley and senior forward Billy Jerry scoring one goal each.

Sophomore goaltender Atticus Kelly recorded 21 saves to earn the shutout.

The win marks the third straight for the Cadets, who’s hot streak could be partially attributed to the infusion of young talent from area youth programs.

“Any time you get high-end bantam kids coming in, they can usually contribute,” Vanelli said.

Some of those high-end players include sophomore Payton Matsui, who scored his first two varsity goals in Tuesday’s win.

“I feel like our potential as a young team can help us score,” Matsui said. “We just need to know our roles and just slide into the spots that have been given to us.”

The Cadet roster features nine underclassmen, a group that Matsui leads in scoring with two goals and 12 points through nine games.

Even with the crop of young playmakers contributing, Vanelli says that veteran leadership shares some of the responsibility and the credit for the adaption speed of the new players.

“I think Billy has been very patient with them,” Vanelli said, crediting Billy Jerry, who’s goal against Wayzata (8-3-0) gives him nine goals and a team-leading 16 points this season.