It was a good start but not so good of a finish for the Steinbach Pistons, who fell 4-2 to the Waywayseecappo Wolverines Saturday night.
In a game that had a similar shot count to Tuesday’s game at the MJHL Showcase, the Pistons couldn’t find their way through the stingy Wayway defence.
Steinbach would get on the board first, as Zach Purcell took the puck and outwaited Wolverine goalie Thomson Phinney to tuck it past the pad for a 1-0 Pistons lead five and a half minutes into the game. Kyle Bettens and Declan Graham picked up the assists on Purcell’s second of the season.
After that, the Wolverines would shut the Pistons down the rest of the game and get some timely goal scoring. Wayway scored on the power play to tie it up as Tyler Leibl notched his fourth goal of the season two minutes after the Purcell marker.
Reagan Rabbit gave the Wolverines a 2-1 lead with a point shot that got through and beat Pistons starter Matt Lenz.
The second period fell a bit flat for both sides, which favored the home team. The only highlight came from Matt Lenz, who flashed the leather after turning the puck over behind his goal only to see him scamper back and rob the Wolverines of a goal.
Jaymes Knee would give Waywayseecappo the insurance marker in the third period, as he beat Lenz past the blocker with just under 12 minutes to go for a 3-1 lead. Noah Westgate would make the lead insurmountable for Steinbach, as he added a shorthanded goal late to give Wayway a 4-1 lead with two minutes remaining.
Dylan Cassie would notch his first as a Steinbach Piston on the man advantage with 24 seconds to play from Troy Beauchemin to bring the final score to 4-2 for the home side.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Both teams struck on the power play, with the Pistons going 1 for 5 and the Wolverines going 1 for 4.
UP NEXT: Steinbach will look to put this game behind them when they hit the road tomorrow for a Sunday night tilt with the Neepawa Natives. Puck drop is scheduled for 6 pm; catch the game live on HockeyTV or listen on your radio to MIX 96 for the first time this season with Dave Anthony on the call!