Content Provided By: Steinbach Online
The Steinbach Pistons kept the game within reach but couldn’t find the goal to push the game into overtime as they lost to the Portage Terriers 4-3 on Sunday night.
Coming into the game, the Pistons wanted to up the pace, move pucks quick and up the compete level. Early in the first, they did just that.
The home team came out strong, using their speed and earning some chances.
Connor Paronuzzi would open the scoring for Steinbach as the MJHL leading scorer sniped his 18th of the season off an offensive zone face-off, putting Steinbach up 1-0. Sam Zagari, the one who won the face off, picked up the lone assist.
Portage responded by scoring twice in the period to take a 2-1 lead into intermission.
Steinbach had a chance to even things up on a power play but it could have been more of an advantage as it appeared that Reece Gault was hit from behind while on the man advantage, but no call was made. The Terriers killed the penalty and went into the break up by a goal.
In the first minutes of the second, Ty Paisley pushed into the offensive zone, drove the net and looked like he was about to tie the game but a Terrier save combined with a player from Portage putting their hand on the puck in the crease kept the puck out.
Because someone closed their hand on the puck in the crease, Paisley was awarded a penalty shot. The 20-year-old walked in, made his move and fired but he was stopped cold by the Portage goalie.
The Terriers expanded their lead later in the second to move in front 3-1.
Another Piston was hit from behind in the second period, this one was called a penalty. Zhenya Miles was crunched in the defensive zone and was left on the ice for a short period of time. Miles managed to make it to the bench on his own but did not play the rest of the game.
Brett Kaiser pulled the Pistons closer as the 19-year-old was left all alone in front and after some great work by Matt Munroe and Brayden Barnett won the Pistons the puck below the goal line, the puck found Kaiser who made no mistake for his 16th of the year to cut the game to 3-2.
In the third, the Terriers managed to pull ahead by two again, working their way from the corner to the front of the net and cashing in to make it 4-2.
Ryan McDonald of Steinbach provided a spark as the 18-year-old dropped the gloves with a larger Terrier forward but it was McDonald that got the upper hand, throwing rights then switching to lefts, completely dominating the larger opponent and clearly won the fight.
The boost of energy worked.
Munroe would set up Sam Noad later in the third with a beautiful pass after a good, hard working shift, helping make it a 4-3 game. It was a big goal for Noad who celebrated his 9th of the year. Mathis Laplante also picked up an assist on the goal.
With time ticking away, the Pistons pulled the goalie but they couldn’t find the equalizer and the Terriers held on to win 4-3.
It’s the fourth straight win for Portage over Steinbach this season.
The Pistons power play was 0-2 while they didn’t have to kill off a penalty.
Steinbach will take the week to practice and regroup before welcoming in the Winkler Flyers on Friday then the Dauphin Kings on Saturday.