Defending champs hoping strong camp kick-starts title defense

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 19/09/2023 (976 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Don’t tell the rosters of the Winkler Flyers or Steinbach Pistons pre-season games don’t mean anything.

The two teams, made up mostly of younger prospects, combined for 52 penalty minutes during a game Sept. 9, including three misconducts. That meant plenty of practice on special teams, as both teams received eight powerplays throughout the night.

Steinbach head coach and general manager Paul Dyck said he was fine with the chance to build up experience on special teams during the pre-season, as the Pistons went 4/8 on the powerplay, killing seven of eight penalties against while walking away with a 5-2 victory.

“Today we were able to put guys in some situations where they might excel on specialty teams,” Dyck said.

“We’re starting to see some chemistry develop with a few guys too.”

Steinbach was able to win both of their pre-season games against the Flyers. Dyck noted Winkler is expected to play play a hard-nosed, chippy game, no matter their roster.

“I think for us, at times we just need to stay focused and try take advantage of it,” he said.

“I thought our guys did a pretty good job of maintaining their composure.”

Brett Kaiser, one of few Steinbach players that actually had a name to go with a number on their jersey, got all kinds of attention from the Flyers, including after scoring a goal in the third period.

Parker Jasper, a pickup at the deadline last season, showed up offensively, notching three points of his own.

Solid performances during pre-season games up and down the Steinbach lineup have put pressure on the coaching staff. The Pistons out-scored Winkler 10-3 across their two pre-season games.

“We’re getting a good look at everyone, and that’s the purpose of (pre-season) games, to get evaluations in,” Dyck said.

“I liked our compete, I think all the guys have shown pretty well. It hasn’t made our job necessarily any easier.”

With the Centennial Arena’s demolition, and the ice not yet installed at the HyLife Centre in La Broquerie, Steinbach has been running their camp out of the T.G. Smith Arena, right next to the future home of the Southeast Event Centre.

Over 200 fans packed into the tiny arena to get their only glimpse of the Pistons in action in Steinbach this season.

“It’s been fine, to be honest with you,” Dyck said on running a training camp out of the small arena.

“Yeah, there’s a few little challenges, but it’s served it’s purpose. It’s a sheet of ice, it’s got boards and glass, and we’ve been able to have some good practices… Where we’re playing is pretty irrelevant.”

Dyck said there haven’t been any major surprises so far during training camp, noting the coaching staff had a good idea of where each invited player was at coming into the season.

“Our veterans have done a really good job of leading each day, setting the tone for what practices should look like,” Dyck said.

Steinbach will finish their pre-season schedule with a pair of match-ups against Niverville, including at the T.G. Smith Centre on Sept. 16 at 7:30 p.m. They will kick off the regular season on the road, before returning to La Broquerie for their home opener Sept. 29.