The Steinbach Pistons put on a display of speed and puck control during a dominating 7-1 road win over the Neepawa Natives on Saturday night.

While it was an impressive showing for the Pistons, it didn't start all that well as just 39 seconds into the contest, Zak Smith scored to put Neepawa in front 1-0.

The Pistons answered back when Easton Bennett scored his 6th of the season to tie the game 1-1 midway through the period. Luke Bellerose, who was making his Pistons debut, collected one assist while Brady Tatro nabbed the secondary helper.

Before the period was through, the Pistons grabbed the lead when Tristan Culleton scored his first career MJHL goal with a blast from the point giving Steinbach a 2-1 lead with Bennett and Darby Gula collecting the assists.

To say Culleton was all smiles after the game is an understatement. He's waited a while to get his first goal. "I didn't even know what do to, it just felt so good to get that off my chest," Culleton said after the game. "(Drew) Worrad said the look on my face was priceless cause I didn't know what to do. I just put my hands up and started screaming."

In the second period, the Pistons continued to pour it on as Daniel McKitrick put a laser beam top shelf on the power play for his 18th of the year from Mark Wilson and Riese Gaber to make it 3-1.

Less than two minutes later Austin Heidemann (17) cashed in off a perfect pass from Bradley Schoonbaert to make it 4-1. Drew Worrad who himself had several dangerous rushes and chances picked up the secondary assist.

Bennett netted his second of the game and 7th of the year when he found a loose puck near the side of the net and snapped it top shelf and absolutely destroyed the Natives water bottle that was resting on the top of the net in the process, giving Steinbach a 5-1 lead. Jaret Lalli and Bellerose picked up the helpers.

The final goal of the second period came from the stick of Schoonbaert as he picked up his 29th of the season from Heidemann and Mark Taraschuk as the lead swelled to 6-1.

Only one more goal came in the third but it was a big one in the sense of Riese Gaber finally getting his first as a member of the Steinbach Pistons. Jack Johnson and Taraschuk were given the assists on Gabers 16th of the year and that was all the scoring the game would see as the final buzzer sounded giving Steinbach a 7-1 road win.

Since coming to Steinbach from the Dauphin Kings, Gaber has had his chances and was relieved to finally find the back of the net. "It was a huge weight off the shoulders," Gaber said when the team returned home. "I was glad to get it out of the way tonight. I thought we were great all night. The second period we were strong and it was great to pull off the win."

Matthew Thiessen was rock solid making 20 saves on 21 shots on goal. The Pistons finished 1 for 3 on the power play and 1 for 1 on the penalty kill. 

Coaches Notes

Head coach Paul Dyck viewed this game as one of the most impressive, complete game efforts of the season. "I thought the guys were prepared for the game. The first shift didn't go as planned but so be it. A shot hits a stick and redirects but from that point forward our guys came to play today with a really balanced attack."

Playing with pace is something the staff has really been preaching with the speed of the team and during the game, it was on display, a lot. "It starts in the D zone. We talked about taking care of the D zone and being in really good support positions. I thought the centres were in good spots and made it easy for fast exits. There's no question we have guys pushing each other, we have 14 forwards while two didn't play today, guys wanna be in the lineup and the 12 we had in today, really came to play."

While only surrendering 21 shots on goal, there wasn't a lot of time spent in their own zone but when Neepawa did push back, Dyck saw some encouraging things. "I thought we had urgency and numbers back. They never had much-sustained pressure. In the second period, we shot ourselves in the foot not clearing the zone, making soft plays along the blueline, but for the most part, it was one and done's through the first and throughout the game. Really pleased with the effort overall."

Not Your Typical 1-4 Line Team

The Pistons coaching staff has often said that in their minds they don't see 1-4 lines, they believe they have players that can move up and down the lineup and play in all situations at any time. On Saturday, the line of Tatro, Bennett and Bellerose may have been pencilled into the fourth spot on the lineup card but certainly played above that. "We don't feel we have a 4th line, we have 4 lines that can play," Dyck said after the game. "Those guys were all over it today, they were really hard on pucks and playing heavy. With Bellerose, we saw what he can bring, he can be physical too. They were moving their feet and making life difficult for their defence. They're going to be difference makers here down the stretch."

All For One, One For All

Something that doesn't show up on the stat sheet is the little things after a goal is scored. Usually, there's a high-five, a pat on the back or a few hard taps on the top of a helmet. On Saturday, as Bennett, Culleton and Gaber both broke out, there were a few different sights on the bench. Several players embraced in hugs with both players, taking a little time to express how happy they were that their teammate got what they were looking for. That's something that Dyck knows goes a long way both in a game, in a season and in life. "Everyone was cheering for Benny (Bennett) today and for Cully (Culleton) and of course for Gabes (Gaber). There were a lot of hugs for the guys on the bench today and it makes the guys feel good."

Shots, Shots, Shots, Shots, Shots, Shots, Everybody!

The Pistons recorded 54 shots on goal according to their own stats while the final online scoring had 60 as the final shots on goal. No matter what the number is, every Pistons player recorded at least one shot on goal. Easton Bennett led the team with 5.

Up Next

A big home game against the Winkler Flyers, a game the team has been looking forward too since the last time these two teams met in Winkler where the Flyers snuck away with a 4-2 win despite Steinbach having 49 shots on goal. Dyck and the staff will be ready for what comes on Wednesday. "Everybody knows what they need to do to contribute to team play. We need to execute the game plan, to buy into our structure and play with that compete we saw today. It's not a secret what we want to see and when we come to play, guys will be happy with the result at the end of the night."