It was a special night at the TG Smith Centre and the Steinbach Pistons didn't disappoint, defeating the OCN Blizzard 7-0 during the teams annual Pink in the Rink game Sunday night.

After a lacklustre game on Friday, the Pistons came out flying in the opening frame, getting several chances before Bradley Schoonbaert converted on the power play for his 11th goal of the year to make it 1-0 Steinbach. Braden Purtill and Drew Worrad had the assists on the first periods only goal. 

In the second, Steinbach continued to apply the pressure with wave after wave of offensive opportunity. Jack Johnson scored his 5th of the year after he and Danny Pion went in on a two on one, Pion's shot was stopped but Johnson buried the rebound to make it 2-0. Brady Tatro also got credit for an assist. 

Just over two minutes from the Johnson goal, Austin Heidemann picked up his 5th of the year snapping home a wrist shot off a faceoff win by Purtill to push the lead to 3-0.

A shade over three minutes later, Purtill picked up his 12th of the year on the man-advantage to make it 4-0 Steinbach. Worrad and Schoonbaert had the assists.

In the final period, the Pistons continued to up the tempo and pace and it resulted in a goal 1:04 into the third when Schoonbaert took a pass from Will Koop and got a good shot away, it was stopped in close but the puck found the stick of Worrad and he capped off a three-point night with his 4th goal in just his 4th game of the year.

Schoonbaert and Purtill finished off their respective four-point nights as the two combined for another power-play goal. Schoonbaert took a cross-ice pass and hammered home a slap shot for his 12th goal of the year.

Tatro finished off the scoring at the midway point of the frame and he turned and ripped a shot top shelf for his 4th goal of the season. Easton Bennett and Tanner Mole were given the assists on Steinbach's 7-0 goal.

Tempers flared late when Pistons defender Jarret Lalli took a hard check from Lantz Heibert in his own corner. Teammate Danny Pion dropped the gloves in a spirited tilt. Both players were given 5-minute majors for fighting, a game misconduct. 

Matt Radomsky picked up the shutout making 13 saves on the night. Despite the lighter workload, head coach Paul Dyck knows these are the games that can be the trickiest. "It's a tough game for a goaltender to play when there's five-minute stretches where the plays not in your zone or haven't seen a shot. I thought he was sharp all night. We've seen it in the past week. I think things are starting to go his way."

The power play clicked at 50% going 3 for 6 while the penalty kill was 4 for 4.

Pistons Keep Firing 

With Braden Purtill's 4 point effort (1 goal, 3 assists), he now has 23 points in 13 games played. He's ranked 3rd in the MJHL in scoring.

Bradley Schoonbaert also had 4 points (2 goals, 2 assists) and leads the league with 27 points in 23 games. Dyck remembered the trade that brought Schoonbaert to the Pistons and how productive he's been. "Looking back, it may go down as one of the more important moves we've made. It's his third year and he just keeps becoming more of a complete player."

Drew Worrad also had 3 points (1 goal, 2 assists) and now has 9 in just four games. As one player said after the game, "he's pretty good at hockey, eh?". 

More Home Cooking On The Menu

The Pistons have collected four of a possible six points so far on their five-game homestand. They will welcome in the Waywayseecappo Wolverines on Wednesday and then again on Saturday night before hitting the road Sunday against the Neepawa Natives. 

A Rink Full Of Pink

For Sunday nights game, the Pistons suited up with special pink jersey's that were auctioned off after the game. 

The team raised over $5100 for the Canadian Cancer Society Manitoba Division. 

It's become a fan-favourite event loved by the community, players and coaches alike. "It's a special evening. We feel very privileged to be able to contribute to the cause and for the guys, it's a great memory. It's powerful to see the survivors on the ice. So many people are impacted by it and we feel humbled we can be a part of it in some small way.