A pair of third-period goals propelled the Steinbach Pistons in game one of their second-round series vs the Swan Valley Stampeders.

Slowly Gettin' Goin'

Steinbach had the travel day and Swan had been resting since eliminating Dauphin a week prior and it showed a bit early on as the Stamps had a little more jump in their step to start the game with a noisy crowd behind them.

The crowd was silenced though as Tyson McConnell got his team on the board first.

As the puck was directed towards the net, the original save was made by Swan goalie Merek Pipes but Pipes couldn't find the loose puck in front of him before the captain did and buried his fourth of the playoffs from Troy Beauchemin and Max Neil getting the assists.

Swan did get back on even ground later in the period but despite outshooting Steinbach 17-9 in the opening period, the Pistons played strong defensively and goalie Matt Radomsky was very solid.

A scary moment in the closing seconds of the first period for Radomsky.

As the 19-year-old Top Goaltender nominee went out to play the puck behind the net, Swan Valley forward Josh Maucieri went around the net and made straight and hard contact to Radomsky's head.

Radomsky's helmet appeared to pop off as the goalie went down to the ice. As he was being examined by athletic therapist Jeff Eidse, Tanner Mole went over to stand up for his goaltender.

After being down for several minutes, Radomsky was able to get back up and finish out the final 14 seconds of the period.

Maucieri was assessed a 5 minute major for blow-to-the-head and a game misconduct. Mole was given two minutes for roughing on the play as well.

The first period came to an end 1-1.

A Little Bit Faster Now

The Pistons came out for the second period and started using their speed and played smart defensive hockey.

Swan was able to get a wrister from the point through traffic and grab a 2-1 lead with just over five minutes gone in the period.

Other than the goal, the Pistons didn't allow much in the way of chances against.

Another worrisome moment came when Troy Williams was decked near his bench. 

The defender reached up to stop the puck from being cleared into his zone and as he grabbed it out of mid-air and played it back into Swan territory, he turned and was cranked by a Swan player.

Again, that got the attention of the Pistons on the ice as Williams remained down, Riley Vautour stood up.

Williams was able to shake it off and Vautour was the only player given a penalty on the play.

Radomsky stayed in the crease after being run in the first and was his usual, rock steady self.

Heading into the third, the Pistons needed to find their offensive game as they trailed 2-1.

Got Their Groove Back

Steinbach came out flying in the third period and was able to not only claw back to even ground but pull out ahead.

First, it was a hard-working shift by Beauchemin, Neil that freed the puck up to the point for Easton Bennett who put it on a tee for Williams who walked in and lasered a wrister towards the net. Great play by the forward Jack Kilroy provided a partial screen and Williams netted his first of the post-season. Bennett and Beauchemin were given credit for the assists on a goal that was manufactured by the whole line.

Less than a minute later, the Pistons were on their fourth power-play of the game and it restored their lead with a goal that left many slack-jawed and wide-eyed.

A good exit out of the zone by Bennett found Brendan Martin near the redline, Martin fed a pass over to a streaking Vautour who blazed a path right into the Swan zone, catching their defender off guard. As Vautour cut towards the net, he let loose an absolutely picture perfect wrist shot that had teammates jumping on the bench and even the players not dressed for the game hopping up and down with excitement.

The wrister went off the crossbar and in for Vautour's first playoff goal as a Steinbach Piston. Bennett collected his second assist of the game while Martin also notched a helper.

The Pistons grabbed a 3-2 lead and never looked back as they finished it off to grab game 1 on the road.

Steady As She Goes

Radomsky put forth another strong effort in the crease and according to Head Coach Paul Dyck, it's not surprising at all. "It seems like we say it every time, he was a superstar", the coach said post-game. "He mentally battles. He's playing strong, confident hockey and it shows. It was a star tonight again."

He finished the night as the games 1st star, making 42 saves.

Another strong part of the Pistons game was the penalty kill. It finished 6-6 and didn't allow much. When Swan did manage to get shots, Radomsky made the save and the defenders were able to clear any loose garbage from in front of the net.

The lone power-play goal turned out the be the game winner and finished 1-4 on the night.

Up Next

Game two goes Saturday night at the Swan River Centennial Arena. The game will be broadcast on MIX 96 and SteinbachOnline.com with the pre-game show at 7:15 pm and the drop of the puck set for 7:30 pm.