The Pistons have a lot to be thankful for this weekend, as they picked up their 2nd straight home win by defeating the Winkler Flyers 5-2 on Sunday night.
Captain Tyson McConnell led the way for Steinbach nabbing two goals on the night. Curtis Ireland had a goal and an assist, and Troy Williams and Boedey Vaeth each had 2 helpers on the night.
Matt Radomsky was solid again for Steinbach, stopping 25 of 27 Flyer shots for his 3rd win of the season. Winkler’s Riley Morgan made 33 saves in the loss.
It was the Flyers who got on the board just 44 seconds into the game, as Jesse Korytko banged home a loose puck to make it 1-0 Winkler. Everett Bestland and Griffin Leonard had the helpers on the goal.
Steinbach quickly responded by dominating the rest of the period, outshooting the men in black 20-5 in the first period and getting two goals. McConnell scored his 2nd of the season from Ireland to tie it up at the 6:46 mark of the first. And then Marcel Berube fired it home from Vaeth with 51 seconds to play in the first to give the Pistons a 2-1 lead after the first.
In the second, the Pistons would add on another as Ireland took a sweet cross-ice pass from Vaeth on the power play and one-timed it home to make it 3-1 Pistons. Troy Williams had the bonus apple on Ireland’s first of the year.
The captain would get his 2nd on the night on another beauty cross-ice pass, this one by Tristan Culleton, and McConnell tapped it past Morgan for a 4-1 lead with under four to play. Culleton and Williams drew the assists.
The Flyers would come hard out of the gate in the third, and get a power play goal to get within two as Jacob Lacasse potted home a rebound 25 seconds into the third period. Collin Caulfield and Brody Moffatt picked up the assists on the power play marker. But Brady Tatro restored the three-goal lead on a power play of their own, as he buried a rebound off of a Declan Graham slapper to make it 5-2. Brendan Westbrook had the other assist on Tatro’s 4th of the year.
Then the rough stuff began, as the Flyers and Pistons combined for 72 penalty minutes in the final 10:20 of the third period. No matter, the Pistons skated away with their 2nd straight win and a 4-3-0 record.
SPECIAL TEAMS
The Pistons were 2 for 5 on the power play, while the Flyers went 1 for 8 with the man advantage.
UP NEXT: The Pistons will play 4 games in 5 nights starting on Wednesday at home, when the Blue and White take on the Portage Terriers at 7:30 pm. You can get your tickets for that game online at Steinbachpistons.ca.