Steinbach Pistons sputter out of MJHL playoffs

The Steinbach Pistons had their chance to force a winner-takes-all game seven in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League semi-finals.

With just two seconds on the clock and down 4-3, the Virden Oil Capitals iced the puck, setting up a last gasp chance for the visitors. While Sam Noad perfectly won the face-off back to Connor Paronuzzi, who was lurking right at the top of the slot, Tyson Ulmer read the play perfectly, squeezing by Brett Kaiser, who was screening for Paronuzzi, to get a leg on the ensuing shot to block it.

Head coach and general manager Paul Dyck said losses in game one and game two, where Virden came out and took early 3-0 leads inside the Southeast Event Centre, were too much to overcome. Steinbach’s coach had already been crunching numbers following the series conclusion, noting the Oil Capitals scored their first goals across the series seven minutes into the game, while it took Steinbach 23 minutes on average to find the back of the net.

“Game one and game two were so detrimental to our cause,” Dyck said a couple days after the loss.

“That just set us back. I loved our pushback.”

The Pistons trailed for most of game six, much as they did in Steinbach during game five, but no comeback was in the cards April 12 in Virden.

“We didn’t look like a group, we weren’t playing our game,” Dyck said.

“There wasn’t an execution there. (Virden) came as advertised… we just got beat.”

Jackson Kostiuk was credited with a short-handed goal which tied the game after a three on one rush chance banked off the Virden defender and into the back of the net.

Just a couple minutes later, with Charlie Velner still in the penalty box serving a double-minor for checking from behind, Nathan Schaefer absolutely crushed a one-timer with a slap shot from the point to restore the Virden lead. Liam Goertzen managed to tap in a three-on-one chance for his second of the game to give the home sided a much needed insurance goal, as Grady Hoffman ate into the lead in the final minute.

Schaefer’s first of the night was a distillation of the entire series. The forward used his superior speed to beat a Steinbach defender to the puck on the penalty kill, wheeled out of the zone and beat another defender with speed wide before sniping a rush shot past Easton Thevdt to give the Oil Caps the lead in the second.

“I had a lot of speed, took it around the guy, and I just threw a puck to the net and got lucky,” Goertzen said in a video posted to the MJHL’s social media following the game.

Throughout the entire series, Virden forwards generated offense at will off the rush, with Dyck saying Steinbach didn’t do enough to stop dangerous rushes from developing in the first place.

“We weren’t in great defensive positions starting in the offensive zone,” Dyck said.

“For whatever reason we just didn’t defend as well as we had. We had been a team that had defended well throughout the season… It’s like we were caught by surprise on transition and late in responding.”

The Pistons depth was tested throughout the series, with top six forward Jack Greenwell missing much of the series with injury, starting goaltender Chris Quizi knocked out with a lower body injury, Brett Kaiser suspended for three games and Zhenya Miles starting the series injured and receiving a suspension for a brutal hit in game five.

Dyck said Greenwell came back early from his leg injury in order to play.

While Virden couldn’t manage a sell-out like Niverville and Steinbach did during the second round, over 1,200 fans were inside Tundra Oil and Gas place to watch their team clinch their third Turnbull Cup appearance.

“We wanted it really bad,” Goertzen said.

“It was good to be able to get them done here and not have to go back to Steinbach, because that’s a hard barn to play in.”

Oil Capitals head coach Tyson Ramsey said he’s never heard the building that loud.

“I’m just really proud of that group of guys in there,” Ramsey said.

“We’ve got 22 guys that are heart and soul guys, they want it so badly for each other. This series I thought that showed. (We) just emptied it out right to the final buzzer and I can’t wait for the next step.”

Virden will play Niverville in the MJHL final. Neither two franchises have won the Turnbull Cup before, with Virden falling to Steinbach in the 2018 and 2023 league finals. The Winnipeg Saints relocated to Virden in the 2012 season.

GAME FOUR

It was a dominant performance from Virden in game four to take a 3-1 series stranglehold. Schaefer scored 75 seconds into the first period en route to a 6-2 blowout win.

The Oil Capitals took a 5-0 lead when London Hoilett scored mid-way through the third period. Schaefer’s opening goal came while Liam Doyle was in the penalty box, serving a tripping minor.

Across Steinbach’s four losses in the series, they gave up eight powerplay goals. While the teams had roughly the same powerplay conversion percentage, Virden had many more chances throughout the series.

“You can’t afford to spend that much time in the box,” Dyck said, adding that even a successful kill can impact a game negatively.

“You spend so much time killing penalties, it takes some guys out of rotation. Offensive players like Connor Paronuzzi are often sitting on the bench for long stretches of the game.”

The Pistons pushed back after the opening goal, pressing to equalize, but Brooks Siemens and Jett Deschamps scored 90 seconds apart mid-way through the second, striking on the counter-attack to clinch the game.

GAME FIVE

A terrifying hit overshadowed Steinbach’s 4-2 win in game five of the semi-finals.

Zhenya Miles was given a five-minute major and was suspended for game six, as he blasted Marshall Light right as the 2005-born forward crossed into the offensive zone. Light had his eyes on another Steinbach defender as he led the rush, with Miles coming in aggressively from his blind side.

Miles struck Light purely in the head with massive force directly with his shoulder right as the Virden player passed the puck, even sending the Saskatchewan-born forward’s helmet flying. Light laid motionless on the ice while trainers rushed to his aid. He would eventually manage to leave the ice under his own power, before heading to the hospital.

A banner reading “do it for Marshall,” adorned the arena in Virden for game six. Oil Capitals head coach Tyson Ramsey said Light was diagnosed with a concussion and was, “feeling pretty good (in the) last couple days.”

It was a tough task for the Oil Capitals on the ensuing five minute powerplay, even when Ryan McDonald took a high sticking penalty. Steinbach, down 2-0, managed to kill off both penalties and began pressing to get back into the game, powered by a massive crowd of 2,365.

“There’s a lot of great things that happened this year,” Dyck said, noting he expects a strong leadership group of returning players to form the core of next year’s roster.

“The memories created in our facility this year and for our city were really special. Game five was electric in our building.”

Sam Noad struck in the waning moments of the second period, setting up a barrage of pressure in the third. Virden looked more interested in holding onto their lead than adding to it, getting out-shot 15-3, with Brett Kaiser tallying the winning goal just a minute after Luke Bogart tied the game. A pass from behind the net took a ricochet off the side, which fooled Braxton Burdeny, leaving Kaiser with a wide open net to slot the puck into.

Steinbach hosted their year-end banquet at the Pat Porter Centre April 15.