In a rematch of last year’s MJHL championship, it was the Virden Oil Capitals who wound up coming away with a big 3-0 win over the Pistons in Steinbach on Wednesday night.
Despite outshooting the Pistons 12-6, the Oil Caps just couldn’t find the back of the net in the first period as the game remained scoreless after 20 minutes.
The score remained that way until the 9:29 mark of the middle frame as Oil Caps captain Ben Dalke netted a shorthanded tally, his first of two on the night, to make it 1-0 for Virden.
Dalke’s second of the night and 16thof the year would come just 12 seconds into the third period as the Oil Caps took a 2-0 lead before Kolten Kanaski’s 25thof the season at 18:47 would ice the game for Virden.
With the win, the Oil Caps improved to 23-15-3-4 on the season, while the Pistons dropped to 30-13-2-0.
“Good game for us as a team,” said Dalke, who wound up with three points on the night. “We really showed what we are able to do when we put together a good game and it feels very good.”
Dalton Dosch made 25 stops in net to pick up his second shutout of the season for Virden, while Matthew Radomsky took the loss between the pipes for Steinbach, turning aside 31 shots directed his way.
“Real proud of our group tonight,” said Tyson Ramsey, Oil Caps assistant coach. “We played to our strengths and were able to get two points in a real tough building against a tough opponent. We were fast and hard on the puck and made good decisions in all three zones. We feel like when we play this way we can compete with any team in the league.”
Next up for the Oil Caps:Friday night in Neepawa against the Natives. Game time: 7:30 p.m. It’s the first game of a home-and-home set as the Oil Caps host the Natives on Saturday night at TOGP.