Portage Terriers

The Portage Terriers wrapped up the home portion of the preseason in style. The Dogs came from behind to pick up a 4-3 victory over the Neepawa Titans tonight.

The Terriers' guns were blazing from the opening puck drop. It took the squad just 35 seconds to get the fans cheering.

Gabriel Laflamme entered the offensive zone with a burst of speed. He cut through the slot and fired a shot that was stopped, but the rebound was for the taking on the doorstep. After a few whacks at it, Nathan Lenowski was able to give Portage the early lead.

The Portage Terriers are nine days away from their regular season opener, and plenty of decisions still have to be made. 

The most important choice of all is determining what the roster will look like to start the 2023-24 campaign. Assistant coach Robby Moar says they have a core group of veteran players, but everyone else has been fighting tooth and nail for an opportunity.

The MJHL's top-scoring defenceman from the 2022-23 season is on the move. Hayden Lacquette is heading to the Waywayseecappo Wolverines in a trade that sees the Portage Terriers acquire forward Parker Korman and future considerations.

Lacquette was a fan favourite for the Terriers last season after putting up exactly a point-per-game in his first full season in Portage. 

The product of Dauphin scored a hat-trick in the Terriers playoff opener last year against the Niverville Nighthawks, and he totalled three points in five games at the Centennial Cup tournament.

The Portage Terriers may have fallen 5-4 in their preseason opener, but the team is still feeling optimistic. The Dogs kicked off the preseason with just one familiar face in the lineup, Brett Magarrell, as they look to see who will crack the 2023-24 roster.

Portage struck first as the only returning player in the game did it all by himself on the breakout. Magarrell got the puck in the neutral zone, zipped between two Oil Capitals on his way to the net, and made no mistake. 

The Portage Terriers are furthering their reshuffle of the roster ahead of the 2023-24 season. The Dogs are bringing in 18-year-old defenceman Isaiah Arnold from the OCN Blizzard in exchange for a 2024 second-round pick.

The Saskatoon product spent last season with the U18 AAA Warman Wildcats and scored 27 points in 44 games. He added three assists in the playoffs and had just six penalty minutes all season.

Arnold was drafted 4th overall in the 2020 SJHL Draft and was selected in the 7th round of the 2020 WHL Draft.

The Manitoba Junior Hockey League is just 30 days away from the regular season's opening puck drop. League commissioner Kevin Saurette says the offseason has sped by them as the league staff remained busy throughout the last few months. 

Gavin Klaassen is beyond grateful for his time in the City of Possibilities. The Ypsilanti, Michigan product came to the Portage Terriers midway through last season and scored six goals with seven assists in 29 regular season games.

Klaassen inquired about when he should be back in Portage, but instead, he found out the Terriers planned to go in a different direction this season.

The Portage Terriers continue to shuffle the roster ahead of the 2023-24 campaign. 

The Dogs acquired 19-year-old forward Nathan Lenowski from the Winnipeg Freeze in exchange for the MJHL list rights to defenceman Darien Schaan, a third-round draft pick in 2024, and future considerations.

Lenowski was the leading scorer on the Freeze last season, with 41 points in 47 games. He was named the Rookie of the Year for his hometown team last season and will look to bring his offensive prowess to Portage.

The Calgary Hitmen have brought in a new assistant coach. Don MacGillivray will be the newest right-hand man to head coach Steve Hamilton in Calgary as they look to bring the Hitmen back to the promised land.

MacGillivray believes this is a great landing spot.