The Steinbach Pistons came out flat against the Neepawa Natives as the visiting team left the bench and the home crowd stunned winning 4-1 on Friday night.

Neepawa got the all important first goal, as a shot seemed to deflect off a Pistons defender and make it's way past Roman Bengert to give the Natives a 1-0 lead. Later in the period, the Natives converted on the power play and took a 2-0 lead into the first intermission.

In the second period, the Pistons were gifted a glorious opportunity to cut into the lead as they were given a 5:00 power player after a Natives player was assessed a major penalty for cross-checking. The Pistons failed to find the back of the net, despite several good chances. Later, on another power play, the Natives converted giving them a 3-0 lead after two periods. Steinbach held the edge in shots 24- 18 through 40 minutes.

In the third, any chance of a comeback was quickly snuffed out as the Natives scored just 17 seconds into the period. Danny Pion broke through for the lone Pistons goal to make it 4-1 late in the third. The unassisted goal was the only marker for Steinbach as the horn sounded on a Neepawa victory.

“They won every battle.” Pistons assistant coach Graham Pollock said after the game. “They outworked us. They were the hottest team in their last ten and they just outworked us right from the start.”

Head coach Paul Dyck echoed those statements. “We need to be ready to go in game 2. It's a mental test for us now. We need to be ready to play.”

Game 2 will be in Neepawa on Sunday night. Catch the game on Mix 96 and SteinbachOnline.com with the pre-game show at 6:15 pm and the puck drop at 6:30 pm.