The Steinbach Pistons head to OCN this weekend to play a back-to-back on Friday and Saturday versus the OCN Blizzard.
The Pistons are coming off a good weekend of hockey where they secured all 4 available points against the Dauphin Kings. The Pistons beat the Kings 4-2 on Friday evening in Steinbach and 5-3 on Saturday in Dauphin. After those two games against the Kings the Pistons assumed sole position of first place of the MJHL with 41 points (20 wins, 5 losses and 1 OT loss). Jack Rogers has continued his great play and is currently on a 5-game point streak. Over that span Rogers has 12 points (4 goals and 8 assists). Will Hambley has continued to play well in net with a 10-1 record. On the season Hambley has a 2.17 GAA and 0.920 Save %.
The OCN Blizzard currently are in 10th place in the MJHL with 23 points (10 wins, 13 losses, 1 OT loss, 1 shootout loss). Riley Zimmerman leads the Blizzard in scoring with 18 points (10 goals and 8 assists) in 25 games. Steven Bacovsky is the starting goalie for the Blizzard with a 2.63 GAA and 0.926 Save %. Leading the back end for the Blizzard is Raj Gil who has 9 points (4 goals and 5 assists) in 24 games.
“We are just looking to continue to grow as a team and continue working towards playing a mature game” Head Coach and GM Paul Dyck commented. “It’s usually beneficial to get off to a good start on the road in a back-to-back set of games” commented Dyck on the team’s approach to the games.
“Typically, we have an overnighter earlier on and it allows the guys to get to know each other a little better and bring the group closer. These trips are always great for team bonding” Dyck said regarding the first overnight road trip of the season.
SPECIAL TEAMS
PISTONS: PP 22/103 – 21.4% PK 86/98 – 87.8%
BLIZZARD: PP 15/90 – 16.7% PK 127/155 – 81.9%
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Pistons: Zac Patrick
Zac Patrick leads the Pistons in defencemen scoring with 16 points (3 goals and 13 assists) in 24 games. Patrick is a great skater, not shying away from leading breakouts and going end to end on the rush. With his confidence and skating ability, Patrick controls the flow of the game while on the ice. A physical presence, Zac is a lockdown defenceman who uses the body when needed and consistently shuts down the opponent’s zone entries. Captain of the team Zac is a great leader on and off the ice.
Blizzard: Riley Zimmerman
Riley Zimmerman leads the Blizzard in scoring with 18 points and tied for team lead in goals with 10. Zimmerman is a big part of the Blizzard’s power play where he has 2 goals and 2 assists on the power play. Zimmerman doesn’t shy away from the physical side of things as he has 43 penalty minutes on the season.