Codey Behun scored the shootout winner in the third round as the Steinbach Pistons came from behind to squeeze out a 3-2 shootout win over the Virden Oil Capitals Saturday night in Virden.
Matt Lenz got his fourth consecutive start in goal for Steinbach and kept his club in the game for much of the night to pick up the win with 28 saves on the night. Oil Caps starter Dalton Dosch was also excellent in goal but was saddled with the loss making stopping 32 of 34 shots.
The Pistons got off to a quick start like their last outing in Portage. Rylan Bettens found Ty Naaykens in front, and Naaykens tapped the puck in for his first goal as a Piston to give Steinbach a 1-0 lead 1:37 into the game.
Virden turned the tide late in the first and notched two quick goals to take the lead. Hunter Cloutier one-timed a pass from Carson Cox into the back of the net with just over three minutes left in the opening frame to tie the game at 1. With just under two minutes left, Kolten Kanaski buried shot past the glove of Lenz to give the Oil Caps a 2-1 lead.
The second period saw both sides put forward seven shots on goal, but it was Steinbach that had the better of the chances. Carter Loney had two breakaways in the frame and was turned away by Dosch both times. Late in the second period Kyle Bettens wired a wrister that beat Dosch, but not the crossbar. It remained 2-1 for Virden after 40 minutes of play.
The final period was a scrappy period in which Steinbach spent most of the time in the offensive zone, but couldn’t find a way to equalize the game. However with over two minutes to go, the puck came loose out in front from a scramble and Rylan Bettens beat Dosch on a backhander to tie the game at 2. Naaykens and Behun picked up the assists on Rylan’s first goal as a Piston.
Steinbach would head to extra time for a second consecutive game. Both teams exchanged a power play in overtime with Hunter Cloutier getting the best chance for Virden, but he wired a one-timer off the goal post.
In the shootout after Kanaski opened the scoring for Virden, Naaykens would respond for the Pistons in the second round as he beat Dosch underneath the blocking arm. Lenz would poke check Tanner Andrew in the third round, setting the tables for Behun who snapped a shot past the blocking arm of Dosch to win the game for the Pistons.
SPECIAL TEAMS
The Pistons power play looked good at times, but the unit still has not found the back of the net as they went 0 for 4 on the night. Virden went 0 for 3 with the man advantage.
UP NEXT: The Pistons will play a pair of 12:00 games during the 2019 MJHL Player Showcase at the Seven Oaks Sportsplex on Monday and Tuesday. They’ll face the Selkirk Steelers on Monday afternoon and the Waywayseecappo Wolverines on Tuesday afternoon. Catch the games live on HockeyTV with Dave Anthony on the call!