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Preseason closes with Pistons victory over Nighthawks
It was the final preseason game for both the Steinbach Pistons and Niverville Nighthawks, as the two rivals wrapped up their exhibition schedule with the second half of a home-and-home, this time, Steinbach came out on top 5-3. Scoring depth Coming into the game, both teams had made trims to the roster, deciding to feature lineups that mirrored plans for when the regular season kicks off in a weeks time. Steinbach would grab a 2-0 lead in the opening period, with both goals coming from depth scoring. After a power play failed to gain much traction, Charlie Velner, a 6'3" normally stay at home defender, walked into the Niverville zone, and with no options, decided to shoot a puck on goal. The shot was deceptive from not only the angle, but the speed from which it came, catching Niverville's goalie off guard, and putting Steinbach up 1-0. Mason Landry who started the whole play by using his size and speed to create space in the offensive entry, was given the lone assist. William Picklyk would double the lead, as the 16-year-old star forward crashed the net, eventually batting a bouncing puck out of mid-air, showcasing his size, determination, and skill, putting the Pistons up 2-0. Tanner Ducharme and Liam Doyle were given the assists on the goal. Niverville pushed to get on the board, but Steinbach's goalie Chris Quizi came up with some timely saves, including a glove save off a scramble on the side of the goal, keeping his team up by a pair heading into the second. One step forward, two goals back In the second, Niverville would gain ground. Matthew Bertolin cashed in off a wonderful 200 foot rush by the Nighthawks, where they won a defensive zone draw, moved the puck up ice with quick and accurate passes, cutting through the Steinbach defense, and finished it off with a goal, cutting the lead to 2-1. John Scott and Tyler Bernier were given the assists. Steinbach would answer back less than two minutes later, when Sam Noad took a beautiful feed from Evan Kable right in front of the Nighthawks net, scoring on a beautiful deflection, restoring Steinbach's two goal lead, 3-1. Liam Doyle also picked up a helper on the goal, his second point of the night. Noad factored in on the next Pistons goal, a shorthanded assist to his good friend Jack Greenwell, as the two stars cashed in on a 2 on 0 rush while down a man, boosting Steinbach's lead to 4-1 after forty minutes. Special teams period The third featured a number of opportunities on the power play, and Niverville made sure to cash in. First, Adam Vigfusson scored while on a 5-on-3 advantage, as the 20-year-old un-corked a gorgeous wrist shot from the high slot, pulling the Nighthawks closer, trailing 4-2. Once again, Steinbach countered. Greenwell worked hard along the wall to free a puck up for defender Luke Bogart, who filtered a shot through some traffic, eventually having it hit off Brett Kaiser, who celebrated Steinbach's 5-2 lead. Not to be outdone completely, the Nighthawks hung around, scoring on another 5-on-3 opportunity, this time defender Jaden Mah took a little off a point shot that squeaked through to the back of the net, pulling Niverville to a 5-3 game. That would be as close as Niverville would get. Steinbach closed things out, ending the preseason with a 5-3 victory. Notes Special teams were a factor, as Steinbach went 0-3 and Niverville finished 2-8. Quizi picked up the preseason win making 32 saves. Austin Dubinsky, who had a very strong game, including making several key, point blank stops, which gave his team a chance to battle back, finished with 34 stops. Up next The preseason is over. Steinbach will open the regular season on Friday in Winkler. Meanwhile, the Nighthawks will host the Winnipeg Blues for their home opener, also on Friday.