Hockey players are no strangers to travel, and the Portage Terriers are no exception. The team is preparing for one of their big trips later this week, when they will take the six-hour drive to The Pas.
A couple Terriers also recently made the trip from Portage la Prairie to Warman, Saskatchewan to take part in the Western All-Star Showcase, put on by the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL).
Tristan Gravenor and Mitchell Kathler, along with Assistant Coach Robby Moar, made the seven-and-a-half-hour trek up to compete with some of the brightest talents the MJHL and SJHL have to offer.
Gravenor describes the feeling of donning the Maple Leaf at the event.
"It was pretty cool. I wasn't sure what this event was, but I looked into it after, and I was pretty surprised and pretty excited to go. Overall, it was a great experience, it was fun meeting a lot of new players, new guys from other teams, and we got to wear the Team Canada jersey, so it was quite surreal, a pretty cool feeling actually."
Kathler adds how he feels about having such a strong group on the roster.
"I'm probably in the same boat. When you look at the rosters, and the firepower on those rosters, it was pretty cool to be among those guys and show the coaches what I have to offer."
Both players commented on how they felt the event would contribute to their seasons as they continue in Portage.
Gravenor led off by saying, "I'll build off of that, I've learned a lot. I watched a lot of those players play, and I learned a lot of things this week. I'm excited to bring what I learned there to the Portage Terriers."
Kathler emphasizes that getting on the ice back in Portage was a big step.
"I think the transition has been pretty smooth. We got home Wednesday night (November 6), worked the next morning and practice, so that was a bit tough, but I'm feeling good, I got my feet under me, and got my first game in since we got back, so I'm feeling good."
There is some disagreement between the pair on who performed better in a practice shootout, with Kathler claiming to have shut Gravenor down. Gravenor rebuffed those claims, noting, "I lit him up."