The Swan Valley Stampeders skated to another 3-2 overtime win over the Steinbach Pistons Sunday night at the Centennial Arena.
Tonight’s game was a battle from start to finish that brought the crowd to the edge of their seats on many occasions. Mikael Foucher, aka “The Wall,” has been on fire since returning to the Stampeder net. The 19-year-old Quebec product, out duelled Steinbach goaltender Matt Lenz, picking up his 24th win of the year Sunday night.
The Stampeder offence was lead by Josh Maucieri, who picked up a goal and a two assists. Brenden Saether and Callum Fortin each scored a goal, while Foucher stopped 32 out of 34 shots he faced, backstopping his team to their 36th win of the year.
Over the course of the last two games, the Swan Valley Stampeders have come alive, taking four points from the first place Steinbach Pistons on home ice.
Brenden Saether would kick things off on home ice Sunday night, letting a point shot go that beat a heavily screened Lenz 3:29 into the opening frame. Dylan Cassie would continue to jam away at the side of the net until he got the result he wanted, a puck crossing the line, tying the game 51 seconds later.
Callum Fortin gave the Stampeders their lead back, using his speed and wiring one past Lenz 1:52 into the middle frame.
With Tommy Cardinal in the box for interference, Steinbach would pull their goalie and hem the Stamps’ in their own zone for nearly two and a half minutes before tying the game at two. The Pistons goal with 35.7 seconds left in the game would force overtime for the second consecutive night.
Despite giving up the late goal, the Stampeders would come away victorious in overtime. Josh Maucieri grabbed a loose puck behind his own net, skated the length of the ice and would get two shots on net before burying his own rebound 1:53 into the overtime period.
Final shots
Steinbach – 34
Swan Valley – 34
Tonight’s solid effort pushed the Stampeders record to 36-19-5 with one game left in the regular season. That game will be played Thursday, February 27, in Virden. Puck drop goes at 7:30pm.
The crowd has been unbelievable the last two games as well, chanting, cheering, and just down right awesome. We can’t wait to see what our fans do in the playoffs. We saw you, and we most certainly heard you.
#SaddleUp #FearTheStampede