Pistons hold off Terriers in opener

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This article was published 24/03/2017 (2580 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

In a playoff classic Friday night in Steinbach between two longtime rivals, the pennant-winning Steinbach Pistons held off the two-time defending champion Portage Terriers by a 5-4 score in the opening game of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League semi-finals.

These two teams have a history, having met five straight years in the playoffs, including the last two, where the vaunted Terriers beat the Pistons in the finals.

But this is a different year, where the Pistons were far and away the top team in the MJHL during the regular season, and the Terriers fifth. The Pistons beat the Terriers five out of six this year but it is unlikely anyone was under the illusion that this series would be anything but a battle.

Portage opened the scoring last night as Layne Toder scored midway through the first. Wyatt Hinson then tied it with with three minutes remaining in the opening frame.

Then in the second, the Terriers became a little undisciplined, took a rash of penalties and subsequently paid the price as the Pistons cashed in with three straight goals, two of them on the powerplay as suddenly the Pistons were ahead on goals by Braden Purtill, Tyler Anderson and Bradley Schoonbaert.

But even at 4-1, just six minutes into the second, one had a feeling this game wasn’t over, and it certainly wasn’t.  Ty Barnstable, with a powerplay goal of his own, made it 4-2 midway through the period.

The Terriers kept coming in the third, making it 4-3 on a goal by Mackenzie Dwyer seven minutes in. Will Koop restored the two-goal lead three minutes later, again on the powerplay as he scored what proved to be the winning goal. Barnstable, with his second, pulled the Terriers to within one with five minutes remaining.

Roman Bengert was absolutely superb in net for the Pistons as he made 36 saves, including 18 in the third as the Terriers mounted a furious push to get back into this game. The Terriers outshot the Pistons 40-38 in the contest. Schoonbaert and Anderson each had a goal and two assists for the Pistons.

Game two in the series will be played Sunday at 4:30 p.m. at Portage and then back to Steinbach for game three Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.

Meanwhile, the other semi-final series will get underway tonight at OCN as the OCN Blizzard host the Winkler Flyers.