Regular season success
It’s been a common occurrence over the last three years that the Steinbach Pistons will be at or near the top of the league to then fall flat in the postseason.
As consistent teams do, they went out and won the games they should have last season and battled hard against other top teams in the league. In the playoffs, they avenged the previous year’s defeat but couldn’t carry it over in the second round, eventually stalling out and falling to Virden.
There may be more questions now than there has been to start a year in a while for Steinbach, who went to four league Final’s in the last ten years (2017-18 (win), 2021-22, 2022-23 (win), and 2023-24), winning two Turnbull Cups during that time.
Home ice advantage
Going back to the TG Smith Centre, playing against the Pistons on home ice has been a tougher task. When they moved into the Southeast Event Centre, it remained a difficult task for opponents, but it also has provided visitors quite the boost of adrenaline. When they hit the ice, they love to play the role of spoiler in the shiny new building.
Steinbach has lost just 6 games at home in regulation over the past two seasons, and have won a whopping 49. In three of the last five years, they’ve lost single-digit games in regulation. That type of consistency is impressive, but it surely comes with pressure and expectations.
The biggest question mark moving forward is if they can figure out how to compete harder in the playoffs and use that home ice advantage.
2026-27 Outlook
Like years past and like other teams across the league, Steinbach is going through turnover as it’s noted to be the third straight season where a completely new goaltending tandem will be guarding the net.
Winning is hard. As an organization, they made it to the Final, four times in the last ten years as previously mentioned. Every team takes a reset, and going out in the first and second rounds, respectively, could be looked at as a great season for some teams, but for Steinbach who has made a habit of having success, it has to leave the Pistons wanting more.
In recent years, other organizations have really stepped up their game, both on the ice and in the arenas, and they have proved it. In the MJHL over the last six seasons, six different organizations have hoisted the Turnbull Cup. A group of teams can win on any given night, and when they face each other, games can go either way. If Steinbach wants to get back to the mountain top, they’ll have to earn it the hard way, and figure out how to win when the going gets tough.
