The Terriers are back at Stride Place Friday night to kick off a home and home series over the weekend with the Steinbach Pistons. Once the game is over, Stride Place will be turned into a curling venue for the Viterra men's provincial curling championships in Portage next week.
Earlier in the week, eight Terriers and one of their coaches took part in the MJHL-SJHL showcase from January 27 to 29.
Mitchell Kathler earned a shootout victory in the 18U game on January 28, with Koy Funk and Tristan Gravenor also in the action. Gravenor contributed an assist on the tying goal and says the experience was really accentuated by the coaching.
"Everyone just clicked right off the get-go. It was just a great experience overall. The coaches really made us feel like we were part of the same team for the past like couple weeks."
Both games for the 18U squad ended in extended shootouts, with the MJHL taking the win in both games.
Gravenor adds that, despite it feeling a little weird at first, he came around to the guys he was playing with.
"It was a very fast-paced hockey game, very competitive because both teams wanted to showcase what they had. Both teams wanted to win. It was great to meet players from other teams that I usually play against. You would think that they're good guys 'cause you're competing against them. But they're very good guys and good friends."
On the 20U side of things, five players represented the Dogs, with several outstanding performances. Cam Bullinger notched 5 points over the two games, with Owen Witt, Nolan Nenow and Decker Mujcin also hitting the scoresheet. Parker Scherr held down the backend, but didn't register any points in this year's event.
Witt says that being invited for the second time is something special.
"It's always nice to get the experience. Last year was a lot of fun, so it was mostly the same stuff this year and met some new people."
The 19-year-old defenceman and his 20U squad struggled in their matchup, a 9-4 loss to the SJHL's, but earned a 5-1 win in their second game. Witt notes how they were able to change the script.
"So, the big difference that game from the next game is the next one, we just played simple team hockey. It looked like we had been playing together for a bit, and it showed out there. We played really well, and I think that's what contributed to our success."
Witt adds that now that it's over, he only has one thing on his mind: playoffs.
"Once we got back, that was kind of what my mindset is now. The only thing the next big thing is playoffs. We're all just really excited for that. We've still got a lot of work to do. We've got a lot to do in the standings still, but we're all really excited."