It’s the last tilt before a much needed Christmas break for the Steinbach Pistons as they close out the first half with a marquee matchup versus their rivals the Winkler Flyers.
We say much needed because Pistons have suffered a nasty sting by the injury bug as of late and it’s been one thing after another especially on the back end.
In their last game versus the Winnipeg Blues, the Pistons dressed 3 true defenseman along with forward Dawson McCann. Liam Doyle who was expected to be in the lineup, fell ill the morning of the game. To cap it all off, Steinbach is also down two starting centreman in Jackson Kostiuk (injury) and Hunter Degelman who missed 3 weeks due to injury but was given a 4 game suspension late in the first period of his first game back for a high hit versus the Nighthawks. Degelman’s first game back will now be on January 6th when the team is in Winnipeg to face the Blues. The latest injury amongst forwards is Connor Paronuzzi who dropped to the ice after being cross checked last game versus the Blues. To recap, the Pistons have 6 players injured and 1 who is suspended. The two week break couldn’t come any sooner.
Jack Cook, Chad Cote, David Cote, and Shane Burns are all out due to injury. David Cote is expected to be back after the break with Jack Cook potentially not far behind him. The status of Chad Cote and Shane Burns’ returns are still unclear. Good news is that Burns is expected to return with the team after the break after being home to recover since early October. This is an encouraging sign for Steinbach as they get ready for a busy second half.
Despite being short on D and coming out the first period scoreless, the Pistons turned things around with a deciding 7-1 win over the Winnipeg Blues after just barely beating the Freeze 2-1 in overtime the night before. Before that, the Pistons were in a bit of a rut losing 4 of their last 5. Was being short many key players a factor? No question, but it was also a lack of details and the forwards getting a bad case of scorers block. In last Wednesday’s 2-1 loss, the Pistons out-chanced and out-shot the Nighthawks nearly 2-1 but just couldn’t find the back of the net .
The Pistons are going into Wednesday’s game versus the Flyers with 11 forwards and 5 defensemen. This will be a test for the Pistons as they will have to dig deep and keep things simple against a physical Flyers squad.
The Flyers, who sit in 3rd in the east division 5 points back of the Pistons, have been on a bumpy stretch themselves. Winkler lost 2-1 on the road to the Virden Oil Capitals last night. They have now lost 3 of their last 4. The positive for the flyers is their red hot powerplay operating at 25% on the season. They are up against the Pistons penalty kill that has also been top notch.
This is third of six meetings between these two teams this season and the first so far at the Winkler Centennial Arena. Teams always want to head into the Christmas break on a high note so this is one matchup both teams certainly have circled on the calendars.
SPECIAL TEAMS
PISTONS: PP 26/120 – 20.6% PK 139/153 – 90.8%
FLYERS: PP 30/120 – 25.0% PK 129/153 – 86.0%
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Pistons: Leo Chambers
Tied at the top of the MJHL points race with Flyers Captain Trent Penner, Chambers has been the driver behind the Pistons offense who finds himself on the scoresheet on most Pistons goals. One thing that never changes on a nightly basis for Chambers is his work ethic. As captain, he leads by example and is always one of the hardest working players on the ice. Expect him to lead his team in a tough one tonight versus the Flyers.
Flyers: Trent Penner
Captain versus captain. Doesn’t get much better than that. A big rivalry with both captains tied at the top at 37 points each. Penner has been excellent this season for the Flyers and a big part of their powerplay. Two great leaders leading their teams to battle tonight.
If I were you, I’d make the drive to Winkler for this one.
Puck drop at the Winkler Centennial Arena is at 7:00pm. Catch the game on Flo Hockey or listen to voice of the Pistons Dave Anthony over at DAbroadcasting.mixlr.com.
Road Report brought to you by Compass Coach Lines. Visit them at www.compasscoachlines.com.