Fans flooded the ice after the Portage Terriers first ever skills competition. Players skated around, signed autographs and chatted with fans as they prepared for the playoffs, beginning March 21.
Scott Cousins and Team Black were named the champs after sweeping the fastest skater competition. However, the contest did remain close, as Decker Mujcin tallied the hardest shot, registering at 88 miles per hour, and Team Green won the relay after a mistake by Cousins.
He adds that his team helped him out in that respect.
"I got a little worried there for a second, I messed up. Lost the team a few points on that mess up, but it was fun. We had a blast."
He adds that having an award-winning goaltender in Ryan Velan stopping all five shots that came his way is a boost to the squad.
"That's what you get when you pick the Player of the Month for the Terriers, as well as Player of the Week. You get goaltending like that, so that's huge."
Owen Witt was named the overall champ in the fastest skater competition, with a time of 14.21 seconds, while Cousins recorded the fastest time in the accuracy contest, which powered his team to a 7-4 victory.
After the competition, the Terriers invited attendees to take part in a skate with the Terriers. Jackson Rintoul and his family started billeting with the Terriers this season, and he says that seeing his billet brother take part in the competition was a highlight for him. His favourite part, in his words was, "seeing Daine [Dellezay] shoot."
Isaiah Oke was on the ice after the competition, and says his favourite part was seeing his favourite player win his competition, "Seeing Witt beat Nenow."
Oke adds that Witt is his favourite player and that he liked talking with him.
Kyan Grouette won his race in the fastest skater, a matchup with Jonah Marshall, and says he really enjoyed the chance to spend some time getting to know the fans of his new team a little better.
"It's great. I remember when I was a kid and I would come to these, so it's always great to come to events like this. It's good for the kids, as well. It's awesome for the guys too, you get to meet the community, especially since I came in late, it's nice to be a part of the community."
A couple of Winnipeg Jets alumni also joined in the skate afterward, as Derek Meech and Quinton Howden spent time on the ice, chatting with Terriers and fans alike.
Meech says they like to get out to grass-roots communities for events like this.
"What we try to do as an organization is get out into some of these rural areas or different towns around Manitoba, whether it's an alumni game, we come out here and play, which we have in Portage in the past. Or if it's an event like this, it's fantastic to come out, see all the kids on the ice, play around with them a little bit and also see the community members coming out, the billets and everybody. That's what it takes to have a team in your in your city and they're very important people, so it's nice for us to be able to come out here and get down to the grassroots side of the game a little bit."
The event delighted the kids in attendance, and will be sure to garner some cheers should they choose to bring it back.