Courtesy: Dave Anthony – Steinbach Online
It was a very cold couple of days in Northern Manitoba, but the Steinbach Pistons remained hot, defeating both the Northern Manitoba Blizzard and the Swan Valley Stampeders this past weekend
Friday vs Blizzard
After travelling all day, the Pistons took a bit of time before they found their skating legs, but when they did, they skated the Blizzard into the ice, winning convincingly 7-0.
Hunter Bauer picked up his second straight start and made some very strong saves while his team shook off the bus legs.
The Blizzard pushed the pace in the early, but Steinbach did an excellent job of limiting any glorious chances.
William Picklyk got Steinbach on the board as the 16-year-old crashed the net and knocked home a loose puck for his 6th of the year. Logan Mehl, the reason the puck was loose in the crease, and Luc Degagne, the player who started the whole play, picked up the assists.
In the second, Steinbach went to work early and often.
Just over half a minute in, Ryan McDonald scored his 9th of the year from Eric Han and Liam Doyle.
Twenty-one seconds after that, it was Grady Hoffman celebrating a goal, his 8th, from Evan Gradt and Brett Kaiser.
The two-goal explosion less than a minute into period number two boosted the Pistons up to a 3-0 lead.
Luke Bogart would make it a 4-0 game as the defender timed a net drive perfectly from the blueline, receiving a perfectly placed pass from Jack Greenwell, and sliding home his 3rd of the season. Sam Noad added the secondary helper.
In the later stages of the period, Steinbach started to cause some of their own issues, having passes knocked down, or struggling to get out of the zone with speed.
While the Blizzard pushed, Bauer stood tall, turning away all 11 chances he faced in the frame.
The third period was owned by Steinbach.
Picklyk scored his second of the game and 9th of the year from Marek Miller and Evan Kabel.
On a power play, Gradt walked in and fired home his 15th of the season, setting a new career high for the 19-year-old forward, making it a 6-0 game. Picklyk and Miller were given the assists.
Hoffman capped off the goal-scoring parade, notching his second of the game and 9th of the year, from Bogart and Noad, bringing the score to 7-0.
On the final goal, Noad had his stick broken, but instead of going to the bench, he decided to go to the net and caused the screen that resulted in the Hoffman goal.
“I thought, why not?” the captain joked afterward. “I knew that if the play moved from their zone up ice, I would get to the bench, so I thought I’d go to the net and see what happened. Worked out.”
Bauer turned aside everything and, for a second straight game, recorded the shutout, becoming the first Pistons goalie in franchise history to debut with back-to-back shutouts.
Steinbach’s power play was 1-6, although they did score twice just seconds after power plays expired, and their penalty kill was a perfect 3-3, which included a 5-on-3 against, where the Pistons didn’t even allow a shot against.
Saturday vs Swan Valley
Following the goal-a-palooza from the last two games, the Saturday night contest against Swan Valley was, while still a high event contest at times, a far less offensive display, finishing a 2-1 victory for Steinbach.
For a second straight game, it was William Picklyk getting Steinbach on the board first, as the power play clicked to make it 1-0. Evan Gradt picked up the primary assist, as the forward swung in from the blueline, and banked a pass off of Picklyk and in. Rory Gilmour picked up the secondary assist.
Not long after, the Stamps responded, scoring on a 2-on-1 rush, knotting the game 1-1.
It was the first goal Hunter Bauer has given up in his MJHL career, snapping a shutout streak of 128:57.
That would be the only time Bauer and the Pistons let the Stamps celebrate.
As the period went along, the hostilities also rose. Both teams were chippy and chatty, barking at each other both on the ice and on the benches.
“I don’t think we’ll be getting any Christmas cards from them,” someone said on the bus after the game.
In the second, the good pace continued.
Swan had been off for a week, and while Steinbach played the night before, both teams were on their edges. At times, things got scrambly, but both sides played well in their own zone and through the neutral zone.
Chances were limited, but Bauer made every save he had to, keeping his team tied 1-1 until the final minutes.
Jack Greenwell would break the deadlock as the 20-year-old scoring machine hung out in the neutral zone, watching Max Powers-Brekke retreat to get a puck from his own zone. The 18-year-old defender snapped a pass up to Marek Miller, who busted into the zone with Sam Noad and Greenwell, who exploded to the far post. As Noad drove the defender back, Miller hit Greenwell with a pass, and he made no mistake, scoring to make it 2-1 for Steinbach.
With the goal coming in the final minute, Stampeders players were unhappy and started a scrum as the horn sounded to end the period.
Cole Cairns, who was a physical force all weekend long, and Eric Han, also a buzz saw that caused a lot of problems for the opposition through the two games, got involved, doing some pushing and shoving, but not backing down.
Han picked up the only penalty on the play, but Steinbach killed it off to start the third.
The teams traded power plays, but Steinbach did an excellent job keeping the Stamps from really threatening. When they did, Bauer was there.
Swan pulled the goalie, but Steinbach held the fort, closing out the game and bringing home a 2-1 win.
Steinbach managed to go 1-4 on the man advantage, while also going a perfect 4-4 on the kill.
Bauer collected his 3rd win in a row, making 23 saves. Over the course of his first three MJHL games, the 19-year-old has made 71 saves on 72 shots.
Up next
Steinbach will have the week off from games as they prepare for the final two contests before the Christmas break.
Friday night, the Winkler Flyers come to Steinbach, followed by the Portage Terriers making their way to the Southeast Event Centre.
