Everyone knew the stakes of Game 5 tonight: do or die. The players knew it, but most importantly, the fans knew it, and the Steinbach Pistons delivered in front of 2,365 fans, defeating the Virden Oil Capitals 4-2 to force Game 6 and cut the Turnbull Cup semifinals series deficit to 3-2.
“It was the loudest game of the year by far,” Pistons goaltender Easton Thvedt said when asked about the crowd atmosphere by Dave Anthony. “It was awesome to know the fans are here to support us all throughout this.”
Steinbach welcomed some key pieces back into the lineup for Game 5. Jack Greenwell and Zhenya Miles returned, along with Brett Kaiser, who was back after serving a three-game suspension. Chris Quiziremained out, with Thvedt making his third consecutive start in goal.
Much like the trend throughout the series, Virden struck first. Colten Worthington gathered a loose puck at the top of the crease and beat Thvedt to open the scoring on the power play at 9:02 of the first period for his fourth of the playoffs.
Steinbach’s penalty kill had to be sharp early in the second period after Miles took a five-minute major for head contact, followed by a high-sticking penalty from Ryan McDonald two minutes later. The Pistons successfully killed off both penalties, with Thvedt standing tall in the net.
The Oil Capitals extended their lead later in the second period when Tyson Ulmer joined the rush and beat Thvedt on the doorstep for his second of the postseason at 12:01.
Captain Sam Noad gave the building life late in the period when Steinbach’s increased zone pressure paid off. Liam Doyle fired a point shot that was redirected by Noad past Braxton Burdeny, cutting the deficit to one at 17:17. The goal was Noad’s fifth of the playoffs.
Luke Bogart tied the game at 13:04 of the third period, finishing off a cross-ice setup from Connor Paronuzzi to make it 2-2 with his second of the postseason.
Kaiser, playing in his first game back from suspension, gave the Pistons their first lead of the night when he buried a loose puck into a gaping net, bringing the crowd to its feet at the Southeast Event Centre. The Winnipeg product’s first of the playoffs made it 3-2 at 14:23.
Kaiser later sealed the victory with an empty-net goal, his second of the game, to secure the 4-2 win.
Thvedt stopped 30 shots in the win, finishing with a .938 save percentage and earning First Star of the Game honours.
“… I thought his reads were excellent,” Pistons head coach Paul Dyck said about Thvedt’s performance when speaking with Anthony. “… I think he’s been playing well all the way through. We just haven’t been giving him a lot of support, so (we) took a step forward today.”
It’s a one-game-at-a-time mentality for Steinbach, and they took the first step tonight with a Game 5 victory to force Game 6 in Virden. Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. CT Sunday at Tundra Oil & Gas Place.
Article Written by Evan Waldner – Photo provided by Patrick Friesen
