Courtesy of Steinbachonline.com
It was a different game, in a different arena but the result was the same as the Steinbach Pistons fell to the Portage Terriers 3-0 in Portage on Tuesday night and now trail the MJHL Finals 3-0.
It was a scoreless first period between the top two teams in the league with Pistons goalie Roman Bengert stopping 16 shots in the frame. Head coach Paul Dyck talked about playing a solid road period in a hostile environment.
“I liked our response, and I liked the way we came out in their building. Our first 10 minutes were good, it was a very even game. As the game went on and we weren’t able to put the puck in the net, that really affected our psyche again. But physically we were there, our guys were engaging, taking hits to make plays and that’s all you can ask for in that regard.”
In the second period, Steinbach surrendered the first goal for the 10th time in 11 games going back to the first round against the Swan Valley Stampeders. Portage forward, Jeremy Leipsic converted on a two on one giving Portage the lead. Steinbach pushed back with the best chance coming off the stick of Bradley Schoonbaert, but all 9 shots the Pistons fired were turned away by Nathan Park.
In the final period, penalties cost Steinbach. On a 5 on 3 advantage for the Terriers, Leipsic drove to the net with his stick on the ice and deflected one through the legs of Bengert giving the Terriers a 2-0 lead. Then later in the period on another man advantage, Dean Stewart scored on a point shot, sealing the win for Portage.
Shots in the game were 31-23 Steinbach, but the Pistons did outshoot Portage in the 2nd and 3rd periods. The power play struggled going 0-5 while the penalty kill went 3-5.
Game 4 is set for Sunday in Steinbach.