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The Steinbach Pistons came out of the gates strong and kept the pressure on the entire game, coming out with a 6-1 win over the Portage Terriers.
The HyLife Centre was filled with kids for the local La Broquerie schools as the 12:30 pm puck drop was a great opportunity to fill the barn with local students.
A tone was set early as a Terrier forward went at it with Jamie Fuchs right off the opening faceoff. Both players gave the other some solid whacks with the stick and after a lot of jawing, the puck was dropped and the game got underway.
It didn’t take long for the Pistons to bring the crowd to their feet.
Less than a minute and a half into the game, Brett Kaiser pressured the Terriers’ breakout, forcing a turnover to Luke Bogart who quickly hit Brayden Barnett with a pass, giving the 20-year-old forward time to pick his spot and fire home his 9th of the season, putting Steinbach up 1-0.
Just over three minutes later, Sam Noad chipped a puck up from the defensive zone to Connor Paronuzzi who then took off with Jamie Fuchs on a two-on-one rush, which ended with Fuchs scoring his 19th of the season to put the Pistons up 2-0 less than five minutes into the game.
Steinbach could have been up by more than two as Reece Gault, Cole Cairns, and Grady Hoffman all hit posts on separate occasions.
Goalie Christian Green wasn’t overly tested in the opening period but stood tall making 9 saves, but his biggest play wasn’t even a save.
With Portage on a power play, the Terriers won a battle along the boards, they then kicked the puck into the middle, then fired a shot that hit off the traffic in front before finding a wide-open Terrier on the side of the goal. Green lunged over and while he didn’t make the save, he forced the Terrier to be more precise with the shot and instead of hitting the open net, the puck went high, over the glass and out of play.
Steinbach’s penalty kill was called into service multiple times in the first period and each time, the group held strong, forcing the Terriers back into their own zone to regroup or holding onto the puck playing keep away from the power play units.
The 2-0 score held into the second period.
Sam Noad would extend the lead as the 19-year-old worked in the offensive zone, gained some space and from the side of the net, lifted a puck over the shoulder of the Terrier goalie and under the bar for his 11th of the season. Ryan McDonald who helped keep the play alive in the Portage zone picked up the lone assist.
Over the course of the first and into the second period, both teams did a lot of chattering back and forth, scrums after whistles, tough play in all zones and after a hit along the boards, things boiled over.
Barnett squashed a Terrier along the boards and in defense of his teammate, the Terrier captain dropped the mitts with Barnett.
It was a heavyweight tilt for the ages. Both 20-year-olds swinging and connecting, taking a punch and giving one right back. A terrific scrap that sent both players to their respective locker rooms with thunderous applause from the crowd and their benches.
In the late stages of the second, Fuchs worked the puck in behind the Terrier net and as he carried the puck around the goal and was headed toward the corner, a Terrier forward came charging in and hit Fuchs up high with a hard, illegal check, which sent Fuchs to the ice for a few moments.
The player was assessed a 5-minute major and a game misconduct.
While on the major power play, Grady Hoffman managed to follow a misfired shot of his own, eventually tucking home his 14th of the year to make it a 4-0 game. Paronuzzi collected his second assist of the night while Noah Szabo also picked up an assist.
The power play continued into the third but Steinbach was unable to capitalize further.
Portage managed to cut into the lead, scoring shorthanded to make it a 4-1 game with plenty of time left in the third.
A few minutes later, Szabo would give the Pistons their four-goal lead back as the captain walked into a shot from the point, finding the back of the net for his 8th on the year from Paronuzzi and Hoffman.
Hoffman would give the fans one more reason to cheer in the final minutes of the game when again, a Pistons power play did damage again as the 19-year-old sniped a beautiful shot for his second of the game and 15th of the year. Paronuzzi again nabbed an assist, his fourth point of the night while Noad also collected an assist, putting Steinbach up 6-1.
Christian Green picked up the win making 24 saves on the day.
Heading into the game, the Pistons knew their power play would need to be a difference maker and it was just that, going 3-8 while the penalty kill was a perfect 6-6.
Steinbach will be in action on Saturday night as they head into Winnipeg to take on the Blues.