Content Provided By: Steinbach Online
While it wasn’t the prettiest of games, the Steinbach Pistons found a way to score late in the third and come away with a 6-5 win over the Niverville Nighthawks on Thursday night for their 4th victory in a row.
It didn’t take long for Nighthawks to get their home fans into the game. Just over five minutes in, some great work all around the offensive zone produced several good chances but while they were turned away, Niverville stuck with it and eventually had Dawson Zeller deflect a point shot for his 12th of the year making it 1-0 for the home side. Sean Williams and Parker Carrier were given the assists.
Steinbach would answer back just over a minute later as Brody Green snuck out from behind the goal and tucked in his 14th of the year, setting a new career high for the second year MJHL’er. Noah Szabo and Connor Paronuzzi had the helpers on the 1-1 goal.
Niverville would gain the lead back on a power play but it wasn’t so much what Niverville did, it was more the Steinbach defender who got crossed up and while trying to put the puck behind his net, accidently put it on goal and it bounced past an unsuspecting Piston netminder.
Hayden Wheddon, the last Nighthawk to touch the puck before Steinbach put it in their own net, was given credit for the 2-1 goal, his 7th of the season.
Once again, Brody Green would pull Steinbach back to even. While on the power play, the Pistons worked the puck around the offensive zone until Green could walk in and wire a wrister off the post and in for his second of the night and 15th of the year. Reece Gault and Sam Noad were given the helpers on the 2-2 marker.
Steinbach would grab their first lead of the hockey game shortly after as Noad finished off a pretty passing play which included linemates Jamie Fuchs and Mathis Laplante. For Noad, it was his 8th of the year and gave Steinbach a 3-2 lead heading into intermission.
Before the second period was even a minute old, Grady Hoffman was celebrating a goal. The 19-year-old camped out in front of the net and took a pass from Kaiser before sending home his 8th of the year to make it 4-2. Paronuzzi notched his second point of the night with the secondary assist.
After the goal to go down by two, the Nighthawks started to take over. Slowly but surely, they pushed, outworked, out hustled and tilted the ice in their favor.
A 5 on 3 power play gave them an opportunity to claw their way back a bit and they didn’t squander it.
Williams released a wicked shot from the point and while the chance went wide, the puck sprung off the back boards and right to a waiting Wheddon who threaded a shot perfectly up high into the net for his second of the game, 4-3 Steinbach. Avery Laliberte picked up an assist along with Williams.
Niverville couldn’t score on the 5 on 4 after the 5 on 3 but the Nighthawks would get another power play quickly and even up the game thanks to leading scorer Adam Vigufusson. The 19-year-old cashed in from the side of the net after a gorgeous passing play left him open to tie the game 4-4. Alex Ballard and Merik Boles had the assists.
Both teams went through the motions in the start of the third period, both waiting to capitalize on the others mistake.
It would be Niverville that blinked first.
After Fuchs roared into the offensive zone, the Nighthawks turned the puck over behind their goal line to Paronuzzi, who hit Kaiser with a pass and Kaiser made no mistake, scoring in his third straight game to put the Pistons up 5-4. For Kaiser, it was goal 13 on the year and fourth in his last three games.
Showing no quit, the Nighthawks again manage to tie the game thanks to the speed and finish of Zeller, who bullied his way around a Piston defender before slipping home his second of the night and 13th of the year. Wheddon capped off a strong night with the lone assist.
With the game tied and around six minutes to go, two players were battling after the whistle and it was a Nighthawks that took it too far and was called for spearing.
The four minute power play would produce the game winning goal as a Szabo point shot was tipped in by Laplante, who was a thorn in the side of the Nighthawks all night long. Laplante’s 15th of the year put Steinbach up 6-5.
Wheddon had a glorious chance to tie the game with just a few minutes left in regulation but Steinbach’s Christian Green came up massive, keeping his team up by one.
Time would run out and the Pistons skated away with two points.
Steinbach’s power play was 2-3 while the penalty kill was beat up going a meager 1-4.
It won’t be long before these two teams meet again. In fact, Saturday night in La Broquerie will be the 6th and final meeting between the two clubs in the regular season.