The Steinbach Pistons kicked off the 2019-2020 season with a 3-2 victory over the Winkler Flyers on a stormy, foggy Friday night at the TG Smith Centre.

Text Book First Period

After the staff and player introductions officially signaled the start of another year, the home side came out flying and put on a clinic in the first 20 minutes.

The Pistons were using their speed and controlled play for long stretches and didn't give up much of anything in the way of opposing chances, at one point, out shooting Winkler 9-1.

Jack Kilroy got the scoring started with a perfect deflection off a Declan Graham point shot to make it 1-0. Troy Beauchemin who, along with Kilroy, were the best players on the ice for the game, picked up the secondary assist.

"It's pretty great to get one early" the 6"1 Kilroy said with a smile after the game. "I didn't get my first one till November last year, so it's good to get it early."

Buzzing throughout the first was Carter Loney who worked his way from the side boards into the middle of the ice and snapped off a wrist shot that beat the Flyers netminder Dorrin Luding to push the lead to 2-0. Kyle Bettens and newly acquired stud defender Christian Riemer had the assists.

With it 2-0 and the Flyers on the power play, Matt Lenz made the save of the game as a cross ice pass found the target and the Flyers got a great shot on goal only to be spoiled by the glove hand of Lenz. 

The Pistons had a chance to throw more dirt on the Flyers in the first but Luding robbed Rylan Bettens on the side of the net with a beautiful stretching pad save.

The period ended 2-0 Steinbach.

Wheels Stop Moving And Fall Off

The Flyers came out strong in the second and the Pistons seemed to take their foot off the gas and Winkler capitalized.

First, Alex Cattani put a shot towards the net that managed to beat Lenz up high to make it 2-1. There was a little confusion in front and Lenz appeared to not see the shot from distance.

Less than a minute later, Cattani help set up the game tying goal when Kyle Lamoureux streaked in from the point and cut perfectly to the net and tapped home a Drake Bugin pass to make it 2-2.

Finding A Way To Win

If the first period was domination by Steinbach, the second was the compete opposite and then the third would be somewhere in the middle.

The Pistons came out and showed that when they're skating, their a tough team to play against. They had some chances but were turned away by Luding.

With around 6 minutes left in the third, Kyle Bettens finally was able to find some room and scored a beautiful goal off a powerful wrist shot to push Steinbach out in front 3-2. Loney capped off a two point night with the lone assist.

Clamping down defensively, the Pistons were able to hold on thanks to strong defensive zone work and some key saves by Lenz.

The home fans were sent home happy after a 3-2 win.

Game Notes

Power Play: 0-5

Penalty Kill: 0-5

Shots: 46-29 Steinbach

Coaches Thoughts

Paul Dyck spoke after the game and say's he saw a little bit of everything from his team. "To win the first game coming into the season is always important I think. You knew the execution wasn't going to be stellar and it was a bit inconsistent. I really liked our start and I thought we controlled the play in the first. We killed some key penalties. We largely came out flat in the second. When we stopped moving our feet, we gave up some really good looks. Third period was better, fortunately we scored and that gave us life. As we mature as a group, we'll find ways to find energy when things are not going your way. It all stems from moving our feet."

Dyck also commented about the depth of the team showing in this win. "We used a lot of line combinations in the third. Specialty teams were spread out today as well. We had five or six guys up front killing penalties and we had eight forwards on the power play so I think everyone got involved. Overall it was a mixed bag but two points is two points and we'll take it."

Injury Update

Curtis Ireland remains on the shelf with an injury but he has been skating. Unclear when he could make his way back into the lineup.

On Friday, the Pistons were dealt a blow with the loss of Tanner Mole early in the game. Dyck gave an update after the game. "Tanner took a shot the other day in practice and so he's suffering from that a little. I don't think it's a long term thing and it aggravated him today."

Fog Filled Friday

Fans and players were forced to suffer through less than ideal conditions inside the old TG Smith Centre as fog, at times thick fog, overtook the ice.

The conditions were far from ideal and Dyck spoke about it post-game. "It's really unfortunate. I don't think the fans got to witness the pace we anticipated. The humidity in the building is as high as I've ever seen it. This building doesn't handle humidity or warm conditions at all. As a result, the ice breaks down and it becomes almost unsafe at times. Then the fog...there were stretches there where we thought about postponing the game for a stretch but thankfully we were able to get it in."

Up Next

A rematch is set for Saturday night in Winkler and Dyck knows his team will have to be ready. "We need to be better then we were tonight and more consistent with our effort. I liked our first. We jumped out to a lead and I thought we controlled. For tomorrow, the guys need, to a man, need to look in the mirror. I really liked Beauchemin and Kilroy's efforts tonight, all night long. I think there's a lot of guys who have a lot more to give tomorrow but I think you can chalk that up to nerves. First game, first game in Pistons uniforms. But, I think they understand what we expect in terms of effort."