The Steinbach Pistons faceoff against the Winkler Flyers tonight in Winkler with puck drop set for 7:30pm.
The Steinbach Pistons continue to have a strong season as they currently sit third in league standings with a 13-2 record. The Pistons had a strong month of October that saw them go 7-2 and outscore their opponents 41-18 over that span. Tonight’s game starts the first of 6/7 games being on the road. Over these games the Pistons will face tough opponents such as Portage and Winkler. Goaltending has been a strong point for the Pistons seeing Dominik Wasik with a 0.923 SV% and a 2.00 GAA and Cole Plowman with a 0.918 SV% and a 2.21 GAA.
“With 6 of our next 7 games on the road against some very good teams, it will be a good test for us” stated Head Coach and GM Paul Dyck on the road games ahead. “Our details are going to have to be very good and putting together 60-minute efforts will be extremely important” Dyck commenting on the message going into these games. Dyck talked about the guys mindset going into these games stating, “I think the guys are looking forward to it and as comfortable as it is to play at home, spending some time on the road this month will be good for our group.”
Winkler, like the Pistons, has had a strong start to the season sitting in fourth place in league standings with a 11-3-1-1 record. The Flyers on the season currently have a goal differential of +20, outscoring their opponents 60-40. Malachi Klassen has been holding down the fort this season with a 7-2 record, 2.64 GAA and a 0.911 SV%. The Flyers are currently playing some good hockey as they have won three straight games coming into tonight’s game.
SPECIAL TEAMS
PISTONS: PP 17/63 – 27% PK 63/73 – 86.3%
FLYERS: PP 10/73 – 13.7% PK 63/80 – 78.8%
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Pistons: Ty Paisley
Ty Paisley has had an unbelievable first month and a half to the season, leading the league in points per game with 1.73 in 15 games played. Paisley was just named the MJHL player of the month for the month of October where he got 17 points (6 goals and 11 assists) in 9 games played. Paisley plays a strong 200 ft game, generating tons of offense but also disrupting the other team on the back check. With his big frame, Paisley plays a physical game and uses that to his advantage to generate offense.
Flyers: Trent Sambrook
Trent Sambrook is an elite defenceman, being one of the if not the best in the MJHL. With an amazing offensive touch, Sambrook quarterbacks the Flyers powerplay and generates offense throughout the game. With his offense upside, Sambrook is just as reliable on the backend. Sambrook locks down the defensive end and is a big reason for the Flyers success so far this season.