The Steinbach Pistons head to Portage this evening to face off against the Terriers at Stride Place.
The Steinbach Pistons recently fell to second place in the East Division and second place overall in the MJHL as they have a 28-10 record and 56 points. The Pistons have dropped three games in a row which is the first time they have lost that many games in a row this season. Steinbach lost two back-to-back to the Oil Capitals and most recently to the Blues, getting outscored 10-5 over that span. The Pistons have had the injury bug as of late and with having a week off since their last game, hopefully will have some important bodies back in the lineup tonight. Steinbach will look to come out firing tonight and to prove why they are a top team in the MJHL.
The Portage Terriers slipped past the Pistons into first place in the East Division and the MJHL with a 28-8-1-1 record and 58 points. Portage and Steinbach have been neck and neck all season, but the Terriers finally narrowed the gap and used the games in hand that they had to take sole possession of first place. Defensive scoring has been a major asset all season with Hayden Lacquette leading the team and all MJHL defencemen in scoring.
SPECIAL TEAMS
PISTONS: PP 42/159 – 26.4% PK 135/161 – 83.9%
TERRIERS: PP 42/185 – 22.7% PK 146/171 – 85.4%
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Pistons: Landon Roberts
Landon Roberts you will either notice from the offence he produces or the big hits he lays out in the game. Roberts has a very well-rounded game, where he will be a part of the rush and generate offence but also back check hard and use his big size to his advantage to disrupt the other team. So far this season Roberts has 20 points (10 goals and 10 assists) in 21 games.
Terriers: Ryan Botterill
Ryan Botterill has 36 points (21 goals and 15 assists) in 37 games. Botterill has an eye for scoring and generating offence as he leads the Terriers in goal scoring with 21 goals. Botterill has great hockey IQ, putting himself in the right place at the right time to generate success and put pucks in the back of the net.