The Portage Terriers endured a tough night on Sunday, falling 3-1 to the Selkirk Steelers in Manitoba Junior Hockey League action. Costly turnovers and early-game struggles continued to plague the Terriers, who have now conceded the first goal in six of their last nine contests.
Selkirk opened the scoring midway through the first period when Ian Lavallee capitalized on a miscue at the Terriers' blue line, slipping the puck past Ryan Velan. Portage showed resilience late in the period, with Adam Belzil tallying his ninth goal of the season to tie the game at 1-1 before the intermission.
The second frame saw the Steelers regain control when Luke McCarthy finished a well-executed 2-on-1 to restore Selkirk’s lead, while three minor penalties against the Terriers disrupted any momentum they tried to build.
Despite outshooting Selkirk 24-6 in the third period, Portage couldn’t solve goaltender Noel Olsonawski, who turned aside a barrage of chances. Rohan Guevarra sealed the game for the Steelers with a breakaway goal late in the final period.
The loss marks three consecutive defeats for the Terriers who also fell to Dauphin Saturday night. The team will look to regroup ahead of their home-and-home series against the Waywayseecappo Wolverines later this week. The annual Teddy Bear Toss will take place during the home portion of that Friday, in support of the Salvation Army’s Christmas Hampers. When the Terriers score their first goal, fans are encouraged to throw a stuffed animal onto the ice for the cause.