Chase Brakel recorded a hat trick, and Lasse Petersen made 27 saves as the Portage Terriers continued their winning ways over the Steinbach Pistons with a 6-1 victory Sunday night in Portage.
Steinbach couldn’t muster enough quality scoring chances to keep up with Portage, as the Terriers were able to keep them mainly to the perimeter just like in the last meeting this past Wednesday. Matt Radomsky and Matthew Thiessen combined to make 26 saves on 32 Portage shots. The Pistons continue to be in a bit of a funk, as they have lost 4 in a row after going on an 8 game winning streak before this stretch.
A good start was needed by the Pistons to get an lead early in the hockey game, but the exact opposite happened as Brakel put home a rebound 44 seconds in for a quick 1-0 lead. The Pistons took a penalty shortly after, and Mackenzie Dwyer capitalized for his 6th goal on the year to push the lead up to two.
Brakel scored his 2nd of the game on another Terrier power play 1:21 into the second period for the third Terrier goal. Logan Mihalcin slapped home his 1st of the year 13 second afterwards to chase Radomsky from the Piston net. It didn’t get much better for Thiessen, as Brakel completed his hat-trick shortly afterwards for the 5-0 lead.
Cole Oliver fired a seeing-eye shot from the right point that found its way past everyone to conclude the scoring for the Terriers. Petersen was solid all night, but he misplayed a puck in his crease that allowed Drew Worrad to tap in an easy one to wreck the shutout bid with 24 seconds remaining in the game. The late goal was Worrad’s 10th of the season.
SPECIAL TEAMS
The Pistons struggled during the night on both sides, as they did not cash in on six power play opportunities. Portage went 2 for 3 on their man advantages.
UP NEXT: The Pistons will be back home at the TG Smith Centre for one game against the Winnipeg Blues on Wednesday, before starting a crucial five game road swing. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 pm. You can buy your tickets before Wednesday’s game online at Steinbachpistons.ca.