Drew Worrad had a four point night, Bradley Schoonbaert had 3 assists, Mark Taraschuk had 3 points, and Matthew Thiessen made 31 saves as the Pistons made it nine straight wins with a 6-1 victory over the Virden Oil Capitals.
It was an unusual night, as problems with the Oil Caps bus delayed puck drop by around 30 minutes. Then the game was pushed back further as a pane of glass behind the Pistons net shattered after a Piston shot. Play started at about 8:15 pm.
Virden came in with almost no time to prepare, but they came flying out of the gate as they had most of the chances early on. Thiessen slammed the door early in the first, and gave the Pistons something to build off of.
With under two minutes to go in the frame, the Pistons netted 3 goals in 31 seconds. The first was a Mark Taraschuk point shot that found its way past Oil Caps goalie Riley McVeigh, and gave Steinbach a 1-0 lead. Worrad and Schoonbaert got the assists on Taraschuk’s 8th goal of the season. Nine seconds later, Worrad drove hard to the net, and tipped in a Schoonbaert pass past McVeigh. The goal was Worrad’s 20th of the year from Schoonbaert and Taraschuk. Then while the first goal was being announced in the building, Brendan Martin deflected in a Darby Gula point shot for his 15th, and it was 3-0 for the Pistons after 20 minutes of play.
Virden got their lone goal in the second period, as a Kyle Salaway pass deflected of the stick and skate of Jeran Knoor in front. The goal was Knorr’s 20th of the season on the PP from Salaway and Marco Creta at the 6:35 mark. It was 3-1 for Steinbach after the second period.
The Pistons got off to a quick start in the third, as Austin Heidemann tapped home a Worrad pass in front on a 2-on-1 break and it was 4-1 Pistons. Schoonbaert picked up his third assist on the rookie Heidemann’s 20th of the year at 2:01. Then Brady Tatro put the game out of reach, as he moved around a defender and snapped one past McVeigh. Darby Gula picked up his second assist on the night on Tatro’s 16th of the year.
The Pistons made it a final score when Taraschuk threw the puck in front, and it bounced off of a Virden defender’s skate and went in. The officials credited Worrad with the goal, but it will likely be changed to Taraschuk’s 9th of the year.
TWO MILESTONES
With tonight’s win, Pistons Head Coach Paul Dyck picked up his 250th regular season win as head coach. Bradley Schoonbaert notched his 200th career MJHL point with his assist on the Drew Worrad goal in the first period. He is 2nd on the Pistons all-time scoring list, behind Dan Talliefer’s 277 points.
SPECIAL TEAMS
The Pistons went 0 for 5 on the power play, and the Oil Caps went 1 for 5
UP NEXT: Steinbach will be at home twice this weekend, first taking on the Neepawa Natives on Friday night and the Dauphin Kings on Saturday night. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 pm.