Missed opportunities costly for Pistons

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This article was published 18/05/2023 (1211 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

PORTAGE LA PRAIRIE — The Steinbach Pistons had one game to earn a trip to the Centennial Cup playoffs Tuesday night.

Ultimately, it became a hill too difficult to climb for the MJHL champions, who would come to regret penalties taken and uncapitalized scoring chances in a 3-1 loss to the SJHL’s Battlefords North Stars before 1,011 spectators at Stride Place.

Steinbach completed preliminary-round play at the national junior A hockey championship with one win, two regulation losses and one OT defeat for four points to finish fourth in Group B and out of the playoffs.

“I think as a group the guys felt like we kind of left one on the table,” said Pistons head coach Paul Dyck. “If you look at the four games, we probably outchanced our opposition maybe slightly some games. Every game we had our opportunities but we made some costly mistakes. We had some penalties that really hurt us (and) there were just times where we weren’t all on the same page.”

The loss also marked the end of the junior career for Souris product Landon Roberts. The Pistons forward is heading to U Sports to play for the Carleton Ravens this fall.

Steven Kesslering scored a power-play goal to give the Stars a 1-0 first-period lead and then came an even bigger blow for the Pistons when Travis Hensrud, perhaps the club’s most dangerous offensive player, was handed a boarding major and ejected for his first-period hit on Stars forward Bradley Blake.

“It was a huge loss,” said Dyck. “I mean, it’s a major penalty and obviously he’d probably like to have that one back — he’s our top goalscorer. He brings a lot of energy and a lot of speed. He’s one of our leaders, so that was definitely a big loss and then what it also does is it changes the rotation of your lines.”

Noah Szabo’s point shot eluded Battlefords goaltender Josh Kotai at 4:40 of the third period to pull Steinbach even at 1-1 but goals by offensive ace Kian Bell, who scored his first of the tournament with 3:01 remaining, and an empty-netter from Kesslering clinched the Stars victory.

Josh Kotai made 30 saves in the Battlefords net. Steinbach’s Dominik Wasik also stopped 30 shots.

“We found a way,” said North Stars head coach Brayden Klimosko. “Obviously Josh made some big saves there — two ridiculous ones in the third — and it’s nice to see Kian score. Typical, it was one of his worst chances of the tournament and he was able to bury it.”

The North Stars, with three wins, one loss and nine points, vaulted into first place in Group B.

The Collingwood Blues were one point back in second place with a game against the Portage Terriers that was in progress at press time. The Terriers, with two wins and a loss and six points, can finish as high as second by beating the Blues. All three teams will move into the playoff round.

In Group A action on Tuesday, Aiden Fink scored twice and added a pair of assists as the Alberta Junior Hockey League’s Brooks Bandits stormed to their fourth consecutive preliminary-round triumph over the Terrebonne Cobras by a score 0f 6-1 to clinch first place in Group A and a spot in Saturday’s semifinals.

“I thought we were fine,” said Brooks GM and head coach Ryan Papaioannou, whose team will have a four-day break until its next game. “I don’t know that we defended overly well at times. I think we kind of played the score for parts of the game, but (the Cobras) were good. They were physical. They brought the game to us as much as I think as much as anybody has in terms of the body contact side and I think we managed it well.”

Hunter Wallace, a 20-year-old from Oak Lake who is a left winger on the team’s top line with Fink and centre Hudson Malinowski, left Tuesday’s game early, apparently tweaking his surgically repaired knee.

He missed 32 regular-season games after suffering a torn medial collateral ligament in his right knee on Nov. 11.

Brooks captain Dario Beljo, out since the AJHL playoffs with a broken right hand, is a potential replacement if Wallace is unable to go.

“I think you have to play well every game to stay in the lineup here,” said Fink, who improved his tournament-leading totals to five goals and 11 points in four games. “Everyone that’s on this team is a very good player and anyone could step in at any time.”

Malinowski, who also added a pair of assists, Heath Armstrong, Elliot Dutil and Ethan Beyer also scored for Brooks.

Could Wallace be ready for Saturday’s semifinals?

“Not sure,” said Papaioannou. “He missed a pretty good chunk of the season, so maybe it was precautionary more than anything.”

The CCHL’s Ottawa Jr. Senators and MHL’s Yarmouth Mariners nabbed the final two playoff spots in Group B on Wednesday.

The Mariners clinched the last quarterfinal spot with a 3-2 win over the Cobras, while the Senators finished second in the group following a 2-1 shootout loss to the NOJHL’s Timmins Rock.

The quarterfinals take place Friday.

» Winnipeg Free Press, with files from the Brandon Sun