A tightly contested matchup between the Portage Terriers and the Northern Manitoba Blizzard went the Dogs' way by a score of 2-1 on Friday night.
Just before the halfway mark of the first period, Grant Dardis put a long shot through traffic on goal, and beat the Blizzard netminder. The goal would stand as the only one in the frame. 1-0 Portage after 20 minutes.
A miscue by the Terriers in the neutral zone gave Northern Manitoba a break, which Miguel Bouvier converted to tie the game at 1. The score would not change from there in the second period.
A ton of pressure came from each team in the third, but Portage Captain Parker Scherr would manage the only goal on a beautiful deke through traffic in the final frame, making it 2-1 to win the game.
Scherr outlines what he saw on the goal.
"I was lucky enough to get the puck behind my own net with a little bit of speed and I was able to get up ice a little bit. Make a pass to Will (McKay) there, and I just kept my feet moving. Then before you know it, I got the puck back, and I looked up, and it was kind of just me and the goalie. So, I managed to put one on net and slide one through."
Dardis adds that he feels this win will be big for the team's confidence.
"I think this is going to boost us. Obviously, we're going into a tough stretch with a lot of games, so I think we just keep this momentum going, keep playing our game and we should be alright."
Portage doesn't get much of a break, with another contest on Sunday night, February 23, a makeup game against the Swan Valley Stampeders. Puck drop on that game will be at 7 p.m.