The top two Junior A teams in the prairies will battle it out in a best of 7 series for the Anavet Cup starting in Steinbach Friday when the Turnbull Trophy champion Pistons host the Canalta Cup champion Nipawin Hawks. 

Here's how the two teams shaped up during the regular season

Steinbach Pistons

60 games played - 48 wins - 8 losses - 2 overtime losses - 2 shootout losses

Goals For - 296

Goals Against - 130

+166

Special Teams

Power play - 2nd in MJHL @ 24.2% (68 goals for in 281 opportunities)

Penalty kill - 3rd in MJHL @ 82.4% (45 goals against in 256 times shorthanded)

Top Scorers

F - Bradley Schoonbaert - 36 goals, 55 assists for 91 points in 59 games

F - Drew Worrad - 26 goals, 49 assists for 75 points in 47 games

D - Darby Gula - 14 goals, 47 assists for 61 points in 56 games

Goalie Numbers

Matthew Thiessen - 34 games played - 28 wins - 3 losses - 1 OT loss - SV% .923, GAA 2.06 - 2 shutouts - 2012 minutes played.

Matt Radomsky - 28 games played - 20 wins - 5 losses - 1 OT loss - SV% .912, GAA 2.16 - 8 shutouts - 1608 minutes played.

 

Nipawin Hawks

58 games played - 43 wins - 8 losses - 3 overtime losses - 4 shootout losses

Goals for - 232

Goals against - 131

+101

Special Teams

Power play - 1st in SJHL @ 23.4% (72 goals in 308 opportunities)

Penalty Kill - 1st in SJHL @ 85.9% (44 goals against in 313 times shorthanded)

Top Scorers

D - Josh McDougall - 17 goals, 57 assists for 74 points in 55 games

F - Brendan Arnold - 31 goals, 29 assists for 60 points in 43 games

F - Michael Grant - 26 goals, 24 assists for 50 points in 52 games

Goalie Numbers

Declan Hobbs - 29 games played - 22 wins - 4 losses - 1 OT loss - 2 shootout loss - SV% .919, GAA 2.20 - 3 shutouts - 1691 minutes played

Jake Anthony - 32 games played - 20 wins - 3 losses - 1 OT loss - 2 shootouts loss - SV% .929, GAA 1.94 - 1 shutout - 1668 minutes played

Both teams have continued their success into the playoffs.

Steinbach Pistons

Round 1 vs Swan Valley Stampeders - won 4-0

Round 2 vs Winnipeg Blues - won 4-2

Turnbull Trophy final vs Virden Oil Capitals - won 4-2

Special Teams

Power play - 18.2% (14 goals in 77 opportunities)

Penalty kill - 89.2% (7 goals against in 65 times shorthanded)

Leading Scorers

F - Drew Worrad - 16 games played - 6 goals, 12 assists for 18 points

F - Bradley Schoonbaert - 16 games played - 6 goals, 11 assists for 17 points

D - Mark Taraschuk - 16 games played - 5 goals, 11 assists for 16 points

Goalie Numbers

Matthew Thiessen - 10 wins, 4 losses - SV% .944, GAA 1.60 - 4 shutouts

Matt Radomsky - 2 wins, 0 losses - SV% .908, GAA 2.60

3 Reasons For Playoff Success

1 - Depth - Steinbach has boasted a deep lineup all season long but in the playoffs, every player on the roster made a contribution to winning a game somewhere along the playoff run. In the final four games of the Turnbull Trophy series, Steinbach scored 18 goals.

2 - Team Defence - Forwards have backchecked with conviction, the defenders have limited chances against and have also made sure pucks move out of the zone quickly. In the final four games of the Turnbull Trophy finals, Steinbach allowed only 5 goals.

3 - Willingness To Do Whatever It Takes - It's often seen a cliche that a team has to be willing to pay the price to win, but the Pistons lived it. From top forwards Worrad and Schoonbaert blocking shots to other players adapting their game to suit what the team needs. The Pistons have fully bought into what it takes to win at this level and to a man, are willing to do whatever it takes.

 

Nipawin Hawks

(Nipawin not involved in Round 1 which was a best of 5, similar to Survivor Series)

Round 2 - vs Flin Flon Bombers - won 4-1

Round 3 - vs Humboldt Broncos - Led 3-1 - series not completed

Round 4 - vs Estevan Bruins - Won 4-3

Special Teams

Power play - 20.7% (19 goals in 92 opportunities)

Penalty kill - 80.0% (16 goals against in 80 times shorthanded)

Top Scorers

F - Brendan Arnold - 16 games played - 10 goals, 11 assists for 21 points

D - Josh McDougall - 16 games played - 6 goals, 14 assists for 20 points

F - Grant Baetsen - 16 games played - 2 goals, 13 assists for 15 points

Goalie Numbers

Declan Hobbs - 11 wins, 5 losses - SV% .929, GAA 2.10 - 1 shutout

3 Reasons For Playoff Success

1 - Hard Nosed Hockey - Nipawin plays a physical game. Sometimes, they can go over the line as witnessed by their over 300 penalty minutes as a team through their 16 playoff games. They make other teams battle for space along the boards and in front of the net.

2 - Big 4 On Offence - Nipawin has 4 players in double digits for points including Brandan Arnold (21 points), Josh McDougall (20 points), Grant Baetsen (15 points) and Logan Casavant (14 points). The next closest Hawks check in at 8 points respectively. The power play has been solid with Baetsen having 12 power play assists while McDougall has 10. 

3 - Goalie Declan Hobbs - Hobbs has nearly logged as many minutes in the playoffs as he did during the regular season (1030 to 1691). He has proved to be a big-time goalie that battles.

Anavet Cup Schedule

Game 1 - Friday, April 27th

Nipawin Hawks @ Steinbach Pistons - 7:30 pm

Game 2 - Saturday, April 28th

Nipawin Hawks @ Steinbach Pistons - 7:30 pm

Game 3 - Tuesday, May 1st

Steinbach Pistons @ Nipawin Hawks - 7:30 pm

Game 4 - Wednesday, May 2nd

Steinbach Pistons @ Nipawin Hawks - 7:30 pm

Game 5 (if ness) - Friday, May 4th

Steinbach Pistons @ Nipawin Hawks - 7:30 pm

Game 6 (if ness) - Monday, May 7th

Nipawin Hawks @ Steinbach Pistons - 7:30 pm

Game 7 (if ness) - Monday, May 8th

Nipawin Hawks @ Steinbach Pistons - 7:30 pm