Content Provided By: Steinbach Online
After a pair of games where goals were hard to come by, the Steinbach Pistons filled the net against the Swan Valley Stampeders, winning 8-2 on Friday night.
Steinbach’s grind line got the scoring started after a good hard forecheck by Ryan McDonald freed up a puck down low in the offensive zone. Luke DeGagne, who made his return to the lineup after a lengthy injury, set up Cole Cairns who ripped home a perfect shot to put the road team up 1-0. For the man known as ‘Ice Spice’, it was his 5th of the year.
Sam Noad would extend the lead later in the frame as the dynamic 19-year-old broke away while shorthanded, leading a 2 on 1 with Jamie Fuchs. Noad used Fuchs as a decoy before sniping his 6th of the season to make it 2-0.
The second period is where Steinbach grabbed the game and ran away with it.
Brody Green scored his first of two on the night after another good, hard working shift moved a puck from the corner to the point where Cale Quamme was waiting. Quamme put a shot toward the net and while it was blocked, Brody Green was there to pounce on it and notch his 10th of the year. Mathis Laplante also picked up an assist on the 3-0 goal.
Brayden Berg would make it a 4-0 game as he took a pass in the slot from Jackson Kostiuk and ripped a shot that went off the post and in for his 10th of the campaign. Connor Paronuzzi collected the secondary assist.
Laplante would score back-to-back goals, his 8th and 9th to put the Pistons firmly in control 6-0. Reece Gault and Brett Kaiser helped out on the first goal while Brody Green and Shane Burns, in his first game back from a lengthy absence, had the assists on the second.
It was a special night for Burns, not just because he was back in the lineup for the first time since late October, but because his parents made a surprise trip to come and watch him play.
Swan managed to cut the lead to 6-1 before the period came to an end but Steinbach was feeling pretty good heading into the second intermission.
After scoring at the end of the second, the Stamps would strike quickly on a power play in the third to make it a 6-2 game.
Christian Green made some solid saves throughout the first two periods but his best came in the third as one of the more dangerous Stampeders forwards took a feed and walked right down main street for a golden chance, but Green stood tall and kept his team up by 4 goals.
Thanks to the work by Christian Green, the Pistons kept the positives things going and were rewarded with a pair of power play goals.
First, Brody Green notched his second of the game from Kostiuk and Burns, making it 7-2.
Gault would cap the night off with his 4th of the year on yet another power play with Kostiuk and Brody Green getting the assists.
Christian Green picked up his 14th win of the season making 16 saves.
The group finished 2-4 on the power play and 3-4 on the penalty kill.
Steinbach will head to The Pas on Saturday for a game against the Northern Manitoba Blizzard.