After the first shot of the game for Winkler went in, goaltender Matt Lenz shut the Flyers down the rest of the way with 27 saves as the Pistons scored four consecutive goals to win their final preseason game 4-1.
With the win Saturday night, Steinbach goes undefeated during their 2019-20 exhibition schedule.
Flyers forward Jaden Townsend scored a shorthanded goal 55 seconds into the game to lift Winkler to a 1-0 lead. But Tanner Mole would quickly equalize for Steinbach 1:45 later, as the power forward took a pass from Ty Naaykens in tight and deked around Winkler goalie Dorrin Luding to slide the puck home. Rylan Bettens picked up the extra helper on Mole’s first of the preseason.
Steinbach would take the lead 3:08 into the second period thanks to a good deflection by Troy Beauchemin, as he tipped in Lucas Fry’s point shot to put the Pistons on top 2-1. David Queree would pick up the secondary assist on Beauchemin’s first goal of the preseason.
The home side locked down the visiting Flyers in the third period. Heading into the final period the shots were 28-24 for Steinbach, and then they limited the road team to just four shots in the final frame. The Pistons would pad their lead at the 6:34 mark of the third, as Joey Dosan tipped a Caydin Cleland shot past Luding for a 3-1 lead. Tanner Mole would nab the extra helper on the Bloomington, MN native’s first goal of the preseason.
Kyle Bettens finished off the preseason scoring for Steinbach on the power play with 2:34 left in the hockey game. He buried a rebound past Luding for his team-leading 4th goal in exhibition play, with Max Neill and Codey Behun picking up the apples on the power play goal.
UP NEXT: With no more preseason games to play, the Pistons will get their 2019/20 season started with the 2019 Earl’s Meat Market Home Opener against these same Winkler Flyers this coming Friday at the TG Smith Centre. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 pm, there will be a pre-game barbecue, music, player introductions, and much more. Stay tuned to Steinbachpistons.ca and all Pistons social media outlets for ticket information.