Steinbach Pistons

Steinbach Pistons
City	Steinbach, Manitoba
League	Manitoba Junior Hockey League
Division	Addison
Founded	1988
Home arena	T.G. Smith Centre
Colors	Blue, White, Black, Gray
Owner(s)	Mel Sonnenburg
General manager	Mel Sonnenburg
Head coach	Paul Dyck (interim)
Media	AM Radio 1250 Mix 96.7 FM www.SteinbachOnline.com
Website	www.steinbachpistons.ca
Franchise history
1988-1991	Southeast Thunderbirds
1991-1992	Southeast T-Birds
1992-2007	Southeast Blades
2007-2009	Beausejour Blades
2009-Present	Steinbach Pistons

The Steinbach Pistons are a Canadian Junior "A" ice hockey team from Steinbach, Manitoba. They are members of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League, which is a member of the Canadian Junior A Hockey League.

History

Previous MJHL Teams in Steinbach

The Steinbach Hawks were an expansion team that played in Steinbach from 1985 to 1988. In their three seasons, they won a total of 39 games. In their first two seasons, the Hawks, coached by Ken Krentz, made the playoffs but lost in the first round of the playoffs each season. In their final season, the Hawks finished last and missed the playoffs. The team ceased operations after the 1987-88 season.

Southeast Thunderbirds/T-Birds/Blades

Southeast Blades (1997-2007)

The MJHL granted an expansion team to the Southeast Tribal Council, a group of First Nation bands in southeastern Manitoba, to begin play in the 1988-89 season, in place of the folded Hawks. The team was known as the Southeast Thunderbirds and played out of the Notre Dame Arena in Winnipeg. After three seasons, the team changed it's name to the Southeast T-Birds for one season, and then the Southeast Blades starting in the 1992-93 season.

The Blades were granted a leave of absence from the MJHL for the 1996-97 season. The team returned the following season, moving to the Sagkeeng Multiplex, located on the Sagkeeng First Nation, northeast of Winnipeg. The Blades played ten seasons in Sagkeeng, their best season in 2002-03, when the team finished second in the Addision Division with 87 points. The Blades advanced to the Turnbull Cup finals (MJHL Championship series), but lost to the OCN Blizzard.

Beausejour Blades

Beausejour Blades (2007-2009)

The Blades were sold to Mel Sonnenburg during the summer of 2007. The team relocated to the Sun Gro Centre in Beausejour and was renamed the Beausejour Blades. The Blades played only two seasons in Beausejour, winning only 13 games over the two year span.

Steinbach Pistons

During the 2009 Allan Cup in Steinbach, Manitoba, the City of Steinbach announced that the club would be relocating to Steinbach for the 2009-10 season. Following a local contest, the team was renamed the Steinbach Pistons.

Rich Gosselin, a former star with EHC Biel of the Swiss-A league, was hired as head coach. Despite steady improvement in their first two seasons in Steinbach, the Pistons finished last each season. Through the 2010-11 season, the franchise has missed the playoffs eight consecutive seasons since appearing in the 2002-03 Turnbull Cup finals.

After two and a half seasons with the Pistons, Gosselin resigned as head coach on December 15, 2011. Assistant coach Paul Dyck, a ten year veteran of the International Hockey League, is the team's interim head coach.

Season-by-season record

Note: GP = Games Played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime Losses, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against

Season	GP	W	L	T	OTL	GF	GA	Points	Finish	Playoffs
1988-89	48	1	47	0	-	177	449	2	9th MJHL	DNQ
1989-90	52	20	31	1	-	282	342	41	8th MJHL	Lost Round 1
1990-91	48	8	38	2	-	216	347	18	9th MJHL	DNQ
1991-92	48	2	46	0	0	106	453	4	9th MJHL	DNQ
1992-93	48	16	29	3	0	224	307	35	9th MJHL	DNQ
1993-94	56	10	34	1	1	--	--	22	9th MJHL	DNQ
1994-95	55	21	30	1	3	196	271	46	8th MJHL	Lost Round 1
1995-96	56	5	49	2	0	144	404	12	9th MJHL	Lost Round 1
1996-97	Did Not Participate
1997-98	62	20	38	2	2	231	300	44	10th MJHL	DNQ
1998-99	61	21	38	2	0	234	265	44	8th MJHL	DNQ
1999-00	64	29	26	-	9	282	285	67	8th MJHL	DNQ
2000-01	64	7	55	-	2	160	405	16	12th MJHL	DNQ
2001-02	64	23	36	-	5	202	286	51	10th MJHL	DNQ
2002-03	63	40	18	-	5	265	210	85	5th MJHL	Lost Final
2003-04	64	12	50	0	2	184	389	26	11th MJHL	DNQ
2004-05	63	7	50	2	4	165	331	20	11th MJHL	DNQ
2005-06	63	18	34	5	6	198	293	47	9th MJHL	DNQ
2006-07	63	9	46	5	3	181	356	26	11th MJHL	DNQ
2007-08	62	7	50	-	5	165	400	19	11th MJHL	DNQ
2008-09	62	6	52	-	4	147	424	16	11th MJHL	DNQ
2009-10	62	13	43	-	6	185	308	32	11th MJHL	DNQ
2010-11	62	19	40	-	3	203	277	41	11th MJHL	DNQ
2011-12	62	15	41	-	6	188	319	36	10th MJHL	DNQ

Playoffs

• 1989 DNQ
• 1990 Lost Quarter-final

Kildonan North Stars defeated Southeast Thunderbirds 4-games-to-none

• 1991 DNQ
• 1992 DNQ
• 1993 DNQ
• 1994 Lost Quarter-final

St. Boniface Saints defeated Southeast Blades 4-games-to-1

• 1995 Lost Quarter-final

St. Boniface Saints defeated Southeast Blades 4-games-to-none

• 1996 DNQ
• 1997 Did Not Participate
• 1998 DNQ
• 1999 DNQ
• 2000 DNQ
• 2001 DNQ
• 2002 DNQ
• 2003 Lost Final

Southeast Blades defeated Winkler Flyers 4-games-to-3

Southeast Blades defeated Winnipeg South Blues 4-games-to-1

OCN Blizzard defeated Southeast Blades 4-games-to-none

• 2004 DNQ
• 2005 DNQ
• 2006 DNQ
• 2007 DNQ
• 2008 DNQ
• 2009 DNQ
• 2010 DNQ
• 2011 DNQ

See also

• List of ice hockey teams in Manitoba

External links

• Steinbach Pistons website
• Steinbach Pistons season statistics and records at The Internet Hockey Database