The coaching staff wanted the Steinbach Pistons to push the pace in game two and the team responded putting forward a 5-1 victory on Saturday night to grab a 2-0 series lead over the Swan Valley Stampeders.

Fans were still settling in as the Pistons grabbed the early lead as Drew Worrad scored his first of the playoffs from Bradley Schoonbaert and Austin Heidemann to give Steinbach a 1-0 lead just over a minute into the game.

It was made 2-0 just over 40 seconds later when Will Koop cashed in off a beautiful pass from Brendan Martin. Riese Gaber grabbed an assist on the goal that had the joint rocking with two goals in less than two minutes.

Steinbach continued to push and ended up outshooting the Stamps 14-5 in the period and came out with a 2-0 lead after 20 minutes.

In the second, the Stamps finally got on the board as their captain Keaton Jameson snapped a wrister home for the Stampeders first goal of the series, cutting the lead to 2-1.

The line of Tanner Mole, Brady Tatro and Easton Bennett quickly responded.

After a hardworking shift along the wall, Tatro took a loose puck around the goal and instead of going all the way around, he feathered a backhand pass short side of the net, fooling everyone on the ice except for Mole who tucked home is 3rd of the post-season, restoring the Pistons two-goal lead once again. 

Worrad's second goal of the night followed quickly after as he tapped home a loose puck for a 4-1 Pistons lead. Bradley Schoonbaert and Mark Taraschuk had the assists.

Not to be lost on the Worrad goal was the hit made by Austin Heidemann that freed the puck up to eventually be buried by the top line.

In the third, the Stamps picked it up but were turned away again and again by the solid play of Matt Radomsky. 

Martin capped off a great night by scoring his first of the playoffs as he took a feed in the slot from Gaber and snapped off a backhander that found the back of the net for the final goal of the night. Darby Gula added an assist on the goal that made it 5-1 Steinbach.

The power play remained stalled as the Pistons finished 0-3 while the penalty kill was solid going 2-2.

With two wins on home ice, the Pistons head out on the road for games three and four with a 2-0 series lead.

Coaches Notes

Paul Dyck was pleased with his team's response after being challenged to push the pace after game 1. "I really liked our first two minutes," the coach said with a laugh. "We kept our legs moving and were able to generate chances all game. I also liked our backcheck, we didn't give up too many opportunities the other way. Even when they had speed through the neutral zone, our guys were in good positions to break up plays with a hit or a stick."

It can be tough for players to be in and out of the lineup, but Dyck liked the response from Martin who was not in game 1. "He doesn't hang his head. Guys know it's gonna be tough to crack the lineup. They have a good attitude and Marty came out tonight and new he had a job to do. He played really well, I liked his game for sure."

One part of the game that Dyck really liked was the communication, most notably from Mark Taraschuk. "You see it at the pro levels, even practices are really loud. Veteran guys get it and can direct traffic. Terry, in particular, is always talking when he's out there. It makes things much easier especially for the younger defenders on our team."

Up Next

Games 3 and 4 will be played in Swan Valley starting on Tuesday night and followed by a Wednesday night game. Both games will be on Mix 96 and SteinbachOnline.com with the pre-game show starting at 7:10 pm and the puck drop set for 7:30 pm.

3 Stars

3rd - Brady Tatro - Steinbach

2nd - Drew Worrad - Steinbach

1st - Brendan Martin - Steinbach