Darby Gula potted the overtime winner with 1:34 left in overtime to lift the Steinbach Pistons over the Virden Oil Capitals 4-3.
Gula took a feed from Drew Worrad, and lifted the puck over Oil Caps goalie Dalton Dosch to win it for Steinbach. Worrad notched his second 4 point game of the season, scoring one goal and adding three assists in the win.
“I was talking with (Worrad) the whole way,” Gula said after the game. “He gave me a pass right on my tape, and I was lucky to finish it off for us.”
“We knew it was a game we had to come out for,” Gula added. “We matched what they brought tonight. We had a few lapses here and there, but we’ve got the right group of guys in the room, so we knew what to do to fight back from those lapses.”
With his OT winner, Gula now has 100 points in his MJHL career. The Steinbach native has spent his entire MJHL career with his hometown team, and has committed to Bemidji State University next season.
“I’ve loved every moment here so far,” he said. “I hope to keep those good times rolling throughout the season.”
Braden Purtill got the scoring started for the Pistons near the end of the first period. He grabbed the rebound off of a Worrad shot, and fired it off the post and off of Dosch’s skate and in. Purtill scored his 22nd of the season from Worrad and Gula, and the goal made it 8 straight games with a point for the Steinbach captain.
The second period started off with a bang, as Worrad notched his 14th of the season on a partial breakaway. Just 10 seconds later, Tyler Kirkup answered for Virden with his 19th of the season. The assist went to Oil Caps captain Morgan Magwood. With 13 seconds remaining in the period, Brendan Martin scored his 6th of the season from Worrad. The second period ended with a 3-1 lead for the Pistons.
The third period showed why Virden is one of the top offensive teams in the MJHL, and they didn’t go quietly. Kyle Salaway tallied his 18th of the year 4:46 into the third period from Landyn Cochrane and Jayden Wojciechowski to make it 3-2. Salaway got his second of the period with 7:36 remaining to tie the game at 3. The assists went to Rylee Zimmer and Devon Becker on Salaway’s 19th of the year.
“Their top 6 forwards are skilled guys that we had to watch out for when they were on the ice,” Gula added.
SPECIAL TEAMS
The Pistons went 1 for 4 on the power play, and killed off two penalties on the night.
UP NEXT: The Pistons are back at it tomorrow night against the Waywayseecappo Wolverines. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 pm.