The Steinbach Pistons headed north to The Pas, followed by a stop in Swan River, this weekend looking to extend their eight-game winning streak as the regular season winds down.
Their first matchup was a rematch with the Northern Manitoba Blizzard at Roy H. Johnston Arena, after Steinbach routed them 8-0 at Southeast Event Centre just a couple of weeks ago.
Fri., Feb. 20 – Pistons 9, Blizzard 1
Friday’s matchup followed a similar script to the previous meeting, as Steinbach dominated on the scoresheet.
Despite leading just 1-0 after the opening period, courtesy of Connor Paronuzzi’s seventh of the season at 12:08, Steinbach exploded for five goals in the middle frame, including three in a 3:03 span within the opening 5:16.
Defenceman Luke Bogart scored twice, first making it 2-0 with a top-corner shot from the slot before adding his second on the power play 2:38 later from the left circle.
Brett Kaiser and Jackson Kostiuk connected on a 2-on-1, with Kaiser feeding Kostiuk in the crease for the 19-year-old’s ninth of the season to make it 4-0. Logan Mehl finished off a great setup from William Picklyk at 9:41 to extend the lead to five, and Evan Kabel capped the five-goal second period with a power-play marker.
Steinbach dominated the middle frame, outshooting the Blizzard 22-5 and taking a 6-0 lead into the third.
Jack Perrier broke the shutout on the power play at 4:27 of the third, marking the Blizzard’s first goal of the season against the Pistons. Steinbach responded with three more goals, as Evan Gradt netted his 22nd on the power play, Jack Greenwell hit the 30-goal mark, and Kostiuk added his second of the night to cap the scoring.
Steinbach earned its 40th win of the season with the 9-1 victory, improving to 40-8-2. Easton Thvedt made 17 saves, while Kobe Knutson appeared in his first MJHL game, stopping one shot in 2:03 of ice time in a special moment for the youngster.
Sat., Feb. 21 – Pistons 5, Stampeders 2
Steinbach travelled to Swan River the following day for a tougher test against the Swan Valley Stampeders, looking to hit double digits in their winning streak.
Kostiuk continued his hot weekend, opening the scoring at 8:10 of the first period with his 11th of the season, sneaking a wrist shot past Stampeders’ netminder Easton Falls on a partial 2-on-1 with Zhenya Miles.
Steinbach held a 1-0 lead after the opening period, with both teams registering nine shots.
Cole Cairns doubled the lead at 6:32 of the second, one-timing a cross-ice feed from Cullen Ingebritson for his seventh of the year. Wylie Smith responded for Swan Valley on the power play at 13:59, cutting the deficit to one heading into the third.
The Pistons pulled away in the final frame, scoring three unanswered goals. Captain Sam Noad restored the two-goal cushion at 5:31, William Picklyk extended the lead on the power play at 11:24, and Charlie Velner snapped his first goal since October 11, 2025, with his second of the season at 15:30.
Dylan Ruff added a late goal with 70 seconds remaining to make it 5-2, but Steinbach held on to complete the weekend sweep. Thvedt made 21 saves as the Pistons improved to 41-8-2 with seven games remaining in the regular season.
The Pistons will open a two-game homestand on Wednesday, February 25, against the Selkirk Steelers. Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. CT at Southeast Event Centre, with the game available to stream on FloHockey.
Article Written by Evan Waldner – Picture Courtesy of Ice Wave Media
