Five goals on home ice was unfortunately not enough for the Steinbach Pistons, as they were handed their first loss of the regular season tonight by the Virden Oil Capitals in their first meeting since last year’s postseason.
Lincoln Molind made his fourth consecutive start in goal for Steinbach.
Liam Goertzen kicked off the high-scoring affair with a shorthanded goal with just under five minutes to go in the first period. Goertzen fired a shot from inside the left circle and beat Molind on the glove side.
Steinbach would convert on the power play to tie things up 55 seconds later. Cullen Ingebritson put a puck on net, and Nick Wytrychowski redirected it past Adam Courchesne for his first of the year.
The Oil Capitals retook the lead with less than a minute to go, and it once again came off the stick of Goertzen for his second of the opening 20.
Wytrychowski would score his second, too. The Airdrie, Alberta, product found himself on a partial breakaway, but he quickly released a shot from inside the left circle past the blocker of Courchesne to tie things back up 3:34 into the second.
At 7:02, Lucas Laramee put Virden back in front. Tyson Draper found him at the top of the crease for a tap-in goal.
For the first time since being acquired from the Selkirk Steelers earlier this month, Griffin Krone found the back of the net as a Piston. Wytrychowski attempted a wraparound, but Krone was all over the rebound for his first of the season at 9:12.
Virden carried a 4-3 lead into the second intermission after Christian Pitz put home the go-ahead goal 13:09 into the middle frame.
Once again, Steinbach knotted things up. Gavin Haslam’s point shot through traffic trickled past Courchesne for his first as a Piston 7:55 into the final 20.
Goertzen completed his hat trick less than a minute later, unloading a shot from the slot past Molind. He followed up with his fourth of the night at 13:07.
Draper would ice the game with an empty-net goal at 18:26, though Steinbach got one back with 22 seconds to go as Logan Mehl scored his first of the year, making the final score 7-5 for Virden.
“We weren’t very good from the onset,” said Pistons head coach Paul Dyck, speaking with Dave Anthony. “(We) really struggled without the puck, and we got outworked, that’s usually what you’re gonna get.”
Steinbach will conclude its four-game homestand to open the season next Friday, Oct. 2, when they face the Winnipeg Monarchs. Puck drop is at 7:00 p.m. CT.
Article written by Evan Waldner
