All good things must come to an end.
For the Selkirk Steelers, their perfect start finally ended last week — but not for long. The club bounced back less than 24 hours later to reclaim the win column.
After opening the Manitoba Junior Hockey League season 8-0, the Steelers dropped their first game Saturday against another top club, the Steinbach Pistons, at Selkirk Recreation Complex.
The Pistons led 1-0 after 20 minutes before Landon Pue and Remy Hlady replied with second-period goals for Selkirk. Down 3-2 entering the third, the Steelers pressed to solve Steinbach netminder Chris Quizi, who finished with 25 saves.
After two more Pistons goals, Jules Delepoulle broke through late, but it wasn’t enough as Selkirk fell 5-3 — its first loss of the season.
Though the setback ended an incredible stretch, the Steelers didn’t stay down for long.
On Sunday, Selkirk hit the road to face the Winkler Flyers at Winkler ICON Arena. Pue opened the scoring early in the second to put the visitors ahead 1-0.
After the Flyers tied it, Rohan Guevarra restored the Steelers’ lead at 2-1. The teams traded goals early in the third, with Hlady scoring for Selkirk to make it 3-2 — a lead that held until the final buzzer.
Goaltender Ethan Sawyer was named the game’s first star after a 41-save performance, earning his sixth win of the campaign.
Despite Saturday’s loss to Steinbach, the Steelers still sit atop the MGEU East Division with a one-point cushion over the Pistons. They enter the new week with two games on the schedule — a rematch Tuesday in Winkler, followed by a Saturday matchup in Niverville against the Nighthawks.
Upcoming Games:
Tuesday, Oct. 14 – at Winkler Flyers, 7:30 p.m., Winkler ICON Arena
Saturday, Oct. 18 – at Niverville Nighthawks, 7:30 p.m., Niverville CRRC
