Coming off a pair of games where they felt they were not at their best, the Steinbach Pistons couldn’t get things turned around, falling to the Neepawa Titans 4-0 on Wednesday night.
First period
After two losses over the weekend, there was a lot of talk about starting on time and being ready to go right from the start.
That did not happen.
Neepawa was on their toes early, putting pressure on Steinbach in all zones, using their speed and structure to overwhelm the Pistons, who couldn’t connect on passes or move the puck with any ease.
Steinbach’s best player in the period, and as it would turn out, the entire game, was goalie Chris Quizi.
As the Titans pushed, Quizi came up with some timely saves, giving his team a chance to find their legs and push back.
Instead, it was the Titans that jumped out to a 1-0 lead after a Neepawa forward beat his man along the wall, walked in, and fed a pass over to an open man, leaving Quizi with no chance to make the save.
A power play later on would give the Titans their second goal of the contest, again, off a beautiful passing play that left Quizi no opportunity to make a save.
Steinbach had some shots on goal, but really didn’t muster much in the way of offense, although they did get better as the period went along.
Despite improved play, it was still 2-0 Neepawa heading into the intermission.
Second period
Things didn’t get much better in the middle period.
Time after time, Steinbach seemed to just be a half stride behind the Titans, who again, pushed pace in all three zones, giving the Pistons fits.
Steinbach’s best chance came off the stick of William Picklyk, but the young sniper was stopped cold by the Titans netminder, keeping his team in front by two.
That lead would expand on a second-period power play, giving Neepawa some breathing room at 3-0.
Third period
A glorious opportunity in the first half of the third presented itself, as Steinbach had a 5-on-3 man-advantage for a full two minutes, but much like their play throughout the game, the power play units were disjointed and couldn’t get any flow.
They managed to get a couple of shots on goal, but never really threatened, and that glorious chance to get back into the game passed them by without finding the back of the net.
Boosted by the kills, the Titans put any doubt about the outcome away when they scored just past the halfway point of the third, taking a commanding 4-0 lead.
Things got heated toward the end as tempers boiled over.
Brett Kaiser dropped the gloves with the Titans captain, getting one of the few positive responses from the bench.
4-0 would be the final, the third straight game the Pistons have come out on the losing end.
Coaches notes
Head Coach Paul Dyck says the latest stretch of games isn’t on his goaltender. “He kept it at four,” he said after the game, still trying to dissect what happened in front of him. “It’s a tough night, and I feel for him. There wasn’t a lot of support. He was kind of on an island here most of the night.”
Throughout the game, Dyck put his lines in a blender, and says he was looking for some combo to step up. “We were hoping to find some chemistry. We had a lot of different looks today. Some of that took place already on the weekend. I think when our team is going, to be honest with you, you can play with anyone. When they’re playing within the structure, they all understand our structure, our D zone, our forecheck. It’s just a matter of execution. I think generating offense, sometimes, there’s more chemistry needed. In terms of being able to play as a five-man unit, that should be pretty seamless regardless of who’s on the ice.”
Two players the coach highlighted beyond Quizi were forward Eric Han and defender Eric Cote. “You never question him,” the coach says of the 18-year-old rookie Han. “The way he is in practice as well. He was definitely one of the few bright spots today. He’s just got a motor. He loves competing. In this type of game, where that was required, it’d be fun. It’d be fun to push back a little bit. Sometimes, as a younger guy, it’s hard to maybe inspire some of the older guys to get going, but he certainly did his part.”
Cote’s return to the lineup was also special for the coach, who has been there with him through every step of his recovery to get to this point, playing in an MJHL game again. “Yeah, it’s been a while. It’s been out really since the beginning of the calendar year. Coming back from back surgery, it was great to see him out there and competing. You could tell that he was confident. He was engaged physically. That’s a big first step. I’m sure he’s feeling good about getting back on the ice.”
Up next
The Pistons will welcome in the Dauphin Kings to the Southeast Event Centre on Saturday night.
