The Steinbach Pistons fell behind 3-0 in the first period, and weren’t quite able to mount a comeback as they fell 4-2 to the Selkirk Steelers in the Selkirk Recreational Complex Tuesday night.
The two teams got off to a pretty even start through the first 10 minutes of this contest, however defensive zone turnovers proved costly for the Pistons. First, Tristan Culleton inadvertently banked a pass off of the back of the net, and Ryan Sokoloski swooped in to tuck the puck in past Pistons starter Matt Radomsky to make it 1-0 at the 10:06 mark.
Another Pistons turnover resulted in Noah Basarab getting his 14thof the season from Carter Barley and Ryan Piwniuk with 8:06 left, and it was 2-0 Steelers.
And to cap off the scoring in the first, Sokoloski threw a nice saucer pass on a 2-on-1 rush to MJHL goal leader Connor Barley, and he made no mistake for his 18thof the season for a 3-0 Selkirk lead.
The Pistons came out with purpose in the second period, and turned the tide in their favour. After Connor Barley took subsequent two minute tripping and unsportsmanlike conduct penalties, Steinbach went to work on the power play. First after some quality chances that were turned away by Steeler goalie Levi Mitchell, Declan Graham beat a screened Mitchell for his first goal of the season. Troy Williams would pick up the lone assist on the Graham goal, and it was 3-1 for the Steelers.
Near the end of the double minor penalty, Graham threw a shot on net that was stopped but the rebound bounced right to Tyson McConnell and the captain made no mistake for his 13thof the season to bring Steinbach to within one goal at 3-2 with 4:49 to go in the second period.
The Pistons pressed in the third to tie the game up, but had the wind taken out of their sails with 8:32 left in the frame. Will Middleton threw a cross-crease pass that found the stick of Carter Barley, and he snapped it past an outstretched Radomsky for his second of the season and a 4-2 lead. Selkirk would not face any substantial pressure from there, as they skated away with a 4-2 victory.
Levi Mitchell made 32 saves in the win, while Radomsky stopped 36 of 40 shots in the loss.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Discipline will be a key point of emphasis for Head Coach Paul Dyck going into this weekend. The Pistons took nine minor penalties, six of those being stick penalties (tripping, slashing, high sticking). A bright spot was their special teams play as they went 2 for 4 on the man advantage while killing off all 9 minor penalties they took.
UP NEXT: The Pistons will be back on home ice this Friday and Saturday. Friday brings the Waywayseecappo Wolverines to town for a 7:30 matchup, and Saturday Steinbach will welcome the Neepawa Natives to the TG Smith Centre for their first meeting of the season at 7:30 pm. You can get your tickets for those games online at Steinbachpistons.ca.