Paronuzzi breaks Steinbach Pistons single-game points record

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 24/02/2025 (397 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

There was no tough decision to be made for who the Manitoba Junior Hockey League was going to name as their star of the week Feb. 18.

Connor Paronuzzi not only picked up an overtime winner over Selkirk Feb. 11 and had a four assist day over Portage Feb. 14 but also set the Steinbach Pistons record for most points in a single game during a 10-2 blowout of the Winnipeg Blues.

The game also marked his 100th for the franchise.

“I wasn’t really thinking about anything like that going in, I just wanted to go in and win the game,” Paronuzzi said after another multi-point performance in a win Feb. 18.

“I got one early, that always feels good… Everything was going right.”

The addition of Sam Zagari at the deadline has been a great addition for the 2005-born second-year forward. Having played alongside Grady Hoffman for most of his Pistons career, Zagari had fit in perfectly to form a potent line.

“Our biggest thing is we’re all pretty hard workers, all of us are willing to be the first guy in the corner,” Paronuzzi said when asked what has made their line so effective.

“We’re always there supporting each other, supporting the puck… We’re a fast line, we play with pace and it’s hard for other teams to handle.”

Both Paronuzzi and Zagari had hat tricks on the record-breaking night.

“I think they had some fun putting up those numbers,” head coach Paul Dyck said with a smile after a game Feb. 17.

“They have been putting in some good work in practice, and being very intentional with what their preparation looks like.”

Paronuzzi is now running away with the league’s point race, leading Portage’s Cameron Bullinger by 23 points. Like any hockey player, he’s downplaying regular season accomplishments and is focusing on winning a few games more in the playoffs this year.

“He just sees the game so well and he’s a year older, a year stronger and has a better understanding of what it takes to be consistent on a nightly basis,” Dyck said when asked what has made Paronuzzi so good this season.

“We saw flashes of it last year, but this year he really hasn’t had an off night.”

Steinbach was swept in the MJHL final by Winkler last season, with Dyck noting the long playoff run and loss in the finals has been a massive benefit to Steinbach’s returning players this season, including Paronuzzi.

“A lot of us have a chip on our shoulder from last year,” Paronuzzi said.

“I think we all have to just keep playing the way our coaches want us to, doing what they’re preaching and I think we’ll be fine. We have all the talent and skill and pace in the world.”

Paronuzzi could soon hold another Steinbach record, as he is now within striking distance of Dan Taillefer’s single-season assist record.

Taillefer, the current head coach of the Capital Region Junior Hockey League’s La Broquerie Habs, had 59 assists in his final year with the Pistons during the the 2015/16 season.