The Manitoba Junior Hockey League released their 2014/2015 schedule Monday morning.
The Steinbach Pistons will again open their season with a home-in-home series versus the Winkler Flyers. Except this time, Steinbach will play the first of the two-game set in the T.G. Smith Centre Friday, September 25th.
This year won’t be as bad as last when the Pistons didn’t play a home game during a 28-day stretch in the month of October. However, Pistons fans will only see their team four times in the opening six weeks of the season.
And then fans will get plenty of time to get cozy in downtown Steinbach when the Pistons play seven home games in a 14-day span at the beginning of January. This year will also feature a weekend in February when the team will play Friday, Saturday and Sunday on home ice.
Mark these two dates on the calendar, October 14th and 28th. The defending league and national champion, the Portage Terriers will play host to Steinbach on October 14th and then make a trip into southeastern Manitoba later in the month.
The Pistons will once again do a little more traveling around Manitoba due to the balanced schedule, which was implemented last season. Last year the Pistons had to book into a hotel on 9 occasions, during six road trips. This year there will be eight hotel stays on five road trips.
At the end of the day, Pistons fans will have the luxury of watching their team play their home games on the weekend, with 21 of their 29 games on either Friday, Saturday or Sunday. And just like last year the home games are weighted towards the end of the season. Steinbach will play 15 in the first 3 months and then 14 in the latter two.