Oil Capitals’ title quest ends in Steinbach

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 01/05/2023 (1136 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Virden Oil Capitals run at the Turnbull Cup came to an end Saturday night.

The Steinbach Pistons scored a pair of power play goals in the first period and never looked back as they blanked the Oil Capitals 3-0 at the T.G. Smith Centre and won the 2023 Manitoba Junior Hockey League final in five games.

Despite the disappointing finish to the season, Oil Capitals general manager and head coach Tyson Ramsey praised his team’s efforts.

“There aren’t enough words to describe how proud I am of the guys in that dressing room,” Ramsey said. “They worked their butts off every day both on and off the ice, and they also did a lot of good things throughout our community.

“This was a special group. I said that at the start of the playoffs and even though we didn’t get to lift the trophy, nobody can take what they did away from them.”

This is the third championship for the Pistons. They beat the Dauphin Kings in 2013 and the Oil Capitals five years later in Virden’s only other final appearance.

Saturday’s game was also the last one at the Centennial Arena, which is being replaced by a new rink on the same site.

“It was pretty electric prior to the game and it continued on throughout the night,” Pistons head coach and general manager Paul Dyck said. “When the final buzzer went off, it was sheer pandemonium in there and I think that was the loudest that I’ve ever heard it in that rink.”

Dyck also said that his team learned a lot about what it takes to win in the playoffs during the first two rounds against the Winkler Flyers and the Swan Valley Stampeders, rebounding from a loss in Game 7 of last year’s final.

“I think the experience that we had from last year’s playoffs helped to some degree as well,” Dyck added. “We also did a great job of limiting the amount of offence that Virden was able to create during the course of the series.”

A rash of first period penalties proved costly for the Oil Capitals on Saturday as Travis Hensrud and Ty Paisley both scored on the man advantage to give the Pistons a 2-0 lead.

Kirk Mullen sealed the win with an empty net goal with 3:08 to go in regulation.

“Having to kill off two five-on-threes wasn’t ideal,” Ramsey said. “I didn’t like some of the calls, especially as a couple of them hadn’t been called all playoffs long, but I thought we did a good job of managing that.

“We just couldn’t muster up any offence the rest of the way.”

Dominik Wasik stopped all 24 shots he faced for his fourth shutout of the playoffs and his third on home ice in the final.

Paisley — who won the playoff scoring title with 29 points in 18 games — had a goal and an assist on Saturday to lead the way for the Pistons on offence and Parker Jasper dished out a pair of helpers.

Eric Reid made 27 saves for Virden, who were led in post-season scoring by forward Nolan Chastko and his 21 points in 18 games.

Saturday’s game marked the end of the junior hockey careers for defenceman Bray Rookes and forwards Andrew Blocker, Davis Chorney, Colten Miller and Brody Wilson, who are all aging out of the Oil Capitals program.

While those players are moving on, Ramsey said their efforts will be felt by those who are coming back to Virden and the new faces that will be arriving for the 2023-24 season

“They left it all out there and they are all people that are younger guys can model themselves after,” Ramsey said.

“The playoff experience these guys had is huge for them. They have a taste of what it takes to succeed at this spot. They will be better for it.”

Next up for Steinbach is a trip to Portage la Prairie for the Centennial Cup, which runs from May 11 to 21.

The Pistons have been placed in Group A and are slated to face the host Portage Terriers, the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League champion Battlefords North Stars, the Ontario Junior Hockey League champion Collingwood Blues and the winner of the Superior International Junior Hockey League final between the Kam River Fighting Walleye and the Thunder Bay North Stars.

“It’s going to be a huge test,” Dyck said. “But I think the difficult path that we have gone on during the post-season is going to help us out a lot with the challenges that we are going to face in that tournament.”

ICINGS: Steinbach captain Dawson Milliken was named the most valuable player of the playoffs after recording 16 points in 18 games. The 20-year-old forward from Canmore, Alta., had two goals and four assists in the final … Oak Lake’s Hunter Wallace and the Brooks Bandits are heading back to the Centennial Cup after winning the Alberta Junior Hockey League final over the Spruce Grove Saints in five games. Wallace was tied for fourth in team scoring during the playoffs with 11 points in 15 games. … The Bandits, who have won the last three Junior A national titles, have been placed in Group B for the tournament and are slated to face the Quebec Junior Hockey League champion Terrebonne Cobras, the Maritime Hockey League champion Yarmouth Mariners, the winner of the Central Canada Hockey League final between the Ottawa Jr. Senators and the Smiths Falls Bears and the winner of the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League final between the Soo Thunderbirds and the Timmins Rock.

» lpunkari@brandonsun.com

» Twitter: @lpunkari