After having their win streak snapped in Swan River, the Waywayseecappo Wolverines will need short memories as they take on the Steinbach Pistons in a rare Monday night game.
This game was postponed back on January 7th when they Covid-19 pandemic made it so no fans were allowed to attend the game, but the game was later moved.
It will be the third matchup between the two teams, and Steinbach has won each of the first two games so far. The first one took place in Portage la Prairie for the MJHL Showcase, and the Pistons came away with a 3-2 win. The second one was in Steinbach on January 9th, which the Pistons doubled the Wolverines 6-3.
The Pistons lead the East Division and league with 57 points, but have competition gaining ground on both ends. The Winnipeg Blues and Winkler Flyers have both just crossed the 50 point mark for 2nd and 3rd in the East. Winkler also just beat the Pistons in both games over the last weekend.
For the Wolverines, after passing the Dauphin Kings last weekend, they were jumped after their loss to Swan Valley and now sit three points back. They also only sit two points up on Winnipeg for 3rd in the league, with the league standings mattering in the second of the playoffs.
The Pistons and Wolverines are the top two scoring teams in the league with the Wolverines leading the way with 169 goals, and the Pistons have 152 goals.
The league’s best powerplay will also go up against the league’s best penalty kill as the Wolverines 26.5% powerplay goes up against the Pistons 85.9% penalty kill. Back on January 9th, the Wolverines were 1/2 on the powerplay, but it was their penalty kill that was the difference maker. The Pistons scored four powerplay goals in the game on 7 chances.
This will also be both team’s last game against someone from the opposite division (also the last interdivisional game in the MJHL this season).
Records:
Waywayseecappo Wolverines: 26-10-2, 54 Points, 2nd in West, 3rd in MJHL
Steinbach Pistons: 27-9-3, 57 Points, 1st in East, 1st in MJHL
Leading Scorers:
Waywayseecappo Wolverines: Lonan Bulger (9-33-42 points), Boston Bird (11-26-37 points), Andrew Boucher (12-20-32 points)
Steinbach Pistons: Jack Rogers (16-27-43 points), Davis Fry (9-26-35 points), Dawson Milliken (15-17-32 points)
Top Goalies:
Waywayseecappo Wolverines: Brett Mirwald (5-1-0, .948, 1.67), Liam Tereposky (16-7-2, .879, 3.46)
Steinbach Pistons: Will Hambley (16-2-1, .922, 2.20), Simon Harkness (11-7-1, .901, 2.76)
Special Teams:
Waywayseecappo Wolverines: PP – 26.5% (1st); PK – 76.6% (9th)
Steinbach Pistons: PP – 21.3% (6th); PK – 85.9% (1st)
Season Series:
November 24th – Steinbach wins 3-2
January 9th – Steinbach wins 6-3