Steinbach Pistons clinch 1st overall in MJHL

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This article was published 13/03/2024 (265 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The road to the Turnbull Cup will once again go through Steinbach, after the Pistons clinched first overall in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL) standings.

Steinbach didn’t let a mid-week loss from the second-place Winkler Flyers derail their quest to lock up the division title, winning both games of a back-to-back against the Waywayseecappo Wolverines last weekend, which were locked in a playoff battle of their own.

“There wasn’t an awful lot of hoopla,” Pistons head coach Paul Dyck said on the atmosphere after clinching.

“I think the guys were proud of it, and happy we got it done in Wayway, but we also know once we start the playoffs, we’re starting at zero.”

By finishing first, Steinbach guarantees home-ice advantage throughout the course of the playoffs. The team has only lost a single time in regulation this season at home.

“Any hockey fan that’s watched the game for any length of time knows that they call it a new season for a reason,” Dyck said.

In Winkler, the Pistons were out-played by a Flyers team looking to keep their own hopes of finishing first alive. Winkler held Steinbach to just 12 shots in the first two periods, building a 3-0 lead when Dalton Andrew scored early in the third to extinguish any hope of a Steinbach comeback.

It didn’t take long for the Pistons to get back on track. Just two days later, Steinbach destroyed the Wolverines in La Broquerie, winning by a 9-2 final score. Every single forward in the Pistons line-up scored at least one point in the victory.

Samuel Noad was the only player to score multiple goals, including the first of the game.

After a Jack Cook tipped point shot was just barely stopped, Trey Sauder’s rebound attempt from the side of the net bounced right through the blue paint and onto Noad’s stick, who promptly potted his 10th of the year to get the Pistons up and running.

It was a decidedly more competitive affair two days later in Waywayseecappo, as the Wolverines looked to pull within three points of a playoff spot. A third period goal from Connor Paronuzzi would be the difference, as Steinbach brought home the points to clinch first place.

Steinbach showed great puck movement on the powerplay to take the lead, as Leo Chambers circled from the right half-wall to the point with speed, floating a perfect pass to a cutting Paronuzzi, who promptly found Grady Hoffman in the slot.

Hoffman had used the chaos of the puck movement to find a soft spot in the defense and while his shot was stopped, Paronuzzi had continued to skate towards the net, and he promptly knocked in the rebound.

Steinbach continues to battle through injuries on the back end, with Zoah Szabo, Jack Cook and Cole Cairns missing the second game against Waywayseecappo. Both Szabo and Cook suited up for the first game of the weekend.

Dyck reported all three defenders should be back in action this weekend, and only expected Chad Cote, who suffered a season-ending injury early in the year, to miss the beginning of the playoffs. The rash of back-end injuries hasn’t stop Steinbach from racking up the best record in the league.

“It’s hard to wrap your head around,” Dyck said when recalling how many defensemen went down with major injuries this season.

“It speaks to one, our depth and two, how our guys bought into our play away from the puck.”

The Pistons regular season will end with a home game against the Neepawa Titans March 15 and a visit to Winnipeg to take on the basement-dwelling Freeze March 16.

The team confirmed home games in round one and two (if they advance) will take place in La Broquerie this season, with ice remaining in the HyLife Centre until April 17.

Their first-round playoff match-up will either be against the Niverville Nighthawks or Selkirk Steelers. For more on the race for fourth in the east division, check out page B3 of The Carillon.