With most hockey seasons taking breaks, that means lots of players are travelling home for the holidays, including members of the Portage Terriers.
Several players are also returning to the Portage la Prairie area, like Reilly Funk, now a member of the Bemidji State Beavers. Funk is in his fourth season in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), and his first with Bemidji after playing three seasons at Northern Michigan University. He says that things have been going well there to this point of the year.
"It's been a good first half. I obviously transferred there in the summer, a new place, kind of sight unseen and it's been nothing but good. The coaches, the town, the city, the boys are all good, so I've been really happy there."
Reilly adds that it's exciting to watch his younger brother, Koy, getting his first taste of junior hockey.
"He's a young kid, but he's doing well this year, and I tune in all the time, as much as I can. It's cool, I played here, my dad played here, he plays here, so keeping it going is fun to watch. And he's doing a great job, so I'm happy for him."
He notes that he's got a week and a half off before heading back to Minnesota to face Minnesota-Duluth, and then they will play an exhibition game against the University of Manitoba.
Ryan Botterill also made the trip from Madison, Wisconsin, where he is playing NCAA Division 1 hockey to enjoy Christmas with his family, but he says he won't have much time to settle down as the Badgers play their next game on December 28, followed by a big game in the new year.
"We've got a winter classic, an outdoor game on January 4," Botterill continues. "It's going to be at Wrigley Field in Chicago, so that's going to be pretty cool, for sure. And being a big baseball fan myself, I'm really excited to get to play in that game."
Logan Calder made the trip home from Newport, Rhode Island, where he points out, they see little snow and frequent rain at this time of year. He says the warmer temperatures are nice, but it's always good to get back home for a while.