Portage Terriers

The Portage Terriers are feeling validated after defeating the MJHL Champions in their Centennial Cup opener. Portage came away with a 4-2 victory over the Steinbach Pistons tonight.

The Terriers came out of the gate with guns blazing. It took the MJHL's leading-scorer Ryan Botterill less than five minutes to get his first goal of the tournament. He got the puck just above the faceoff dot on the rush and made no mistake.

After eight months of preparation, the Portage Terriers are ready to make their Centennial Cup debut.

The Dogs had the most time off of any team attending the Centennial Cup, due to being eliminated before the league finals. Team captain Kian Calder talks about how they've used this extended period.

The Portage Terriers are the host team for the 2023 National Junior "A" Hockey Championship that begins Thursday. Terriers head coach and general manager Blake Spiller will join Clayton Dreger on Sportsbeat which airs Wednesdays at 5:15 p.m. on CFAM Radio 950.

While the current iteration of the Terriers will be the main reason Portagers gather at Stride Place over the next two weeks, some former members of the squad will be recognized, as well. 

The 1973 Centennial Cup winning team will be honoured during the first intermission of the Terriers game tomorrow night. Captain of the 1973 squad, Grant Farncombe, is excited to reunite with his old teammates.

Portage's own Riley Borody was traded away from his hometown team ahead of the 2022-23 season, however, he still has a chance to take part in the Centennial Cup in front of his friends and family.

The forward was shipped to the Dauphin Kings during the preseason and played in just 16 games before being traded again. Borody found his footing with his new team, the Kam River Fighting Walleye, who are now just one win away from making it to the most prestigious event in Junior A hockey.

The Portage Terriers playoff opener was electrifying. 

The crowd at Stride Place couldn't have been happier to see their Dogs' back in the playoffs after missing the dance in 2021-22 but it became a memorable one for the wrong reasons. While the Terriers secured a double-overtime victory, forward Gavin Klaassen wasn't there to see it.

The Steinbach Pistons are the 2023 Manitoba Junior Hockey League Turnbull Cup Champions.  

The Centennial Arena in Steinbach was filled to capacity Saturday night, for game 5 of the MJHL finals, with the Pistons leading the series 3 games to 1 against the Virden Oil Capitals. 

The 2023 Centennial Cup will take over Stride Place in a matter of days. May 11 is the first official day of the national tournament, with the Portage Terriers' first game going down on May 12 against the MJHL league champions.

The last time the Centennial Cup was held in Portage la Prairie was in 2015, and the Dogs were the last team standing. Defenceman Tanner Jago scored five points in six games at the 2015 Centennial Cup Tournament. He says the Portage crowd was unlike anything he's experienced.

When one team falls, the other prevails, and while the Terriers are reminiscing on what could've been, the Virden Oil Capitals are relishing in their moment of glory. 

The Virden Oil Capitals and Steinbach Pistons are facing off in the MJHL Finals. The winner of the best-of-seven series will capture the Turnbull Cup and punch their ticket to Portage for the Centennial Cup tournament on May 11. 

The effort was there, the chances were there, and the goaltending was there but it still wasn't enough for the Portage Terriers. 

The Dogs are eliminated from the MJHL playoffs after dropping Game 7, 3-2 in overtime to the Virden Oil Capitals.