Portage Terriers

From backyard rinks in Portage la Prairie to NCAA Division 1, Ryan Botterill's hockey journey is set to take him to the University of Wisconsin.

A strong first period propelled the Portage Terriers over the Selkirk Steelers 4-1 on Tuesday night.

Special teams were busy in this chippy affair, with 18 minor penalties and a total of 94 penalty minutes handed out. Portage went 1/7 with the man advantage while the Steelers were 1/11.

Nearly 300 people piled into the MNP building in Portage la Prairie last Friday for the Terriers Sportsman's Dinner, one of which was NHL Hall of Fame defenceman Paul Coffey.

As attendees waited patiently for the Weston, Ontario, native, the excitement among them continued to build in anticipation of Coffey's stop in the City of Possibilities.

After dinner and dessert, Coffey made his way to the stage, donning an Edmonton Oilers Stanley Cup ring. He spoke for roughly 45 minutes, covering everything from his experiences in the hockey world to his personal life and family.

It was a busy Remembrance Day weekend for the Portage Terriers.

The hectic three-day stretch started Friday as the club hosted NHL Hall of Famer Paul Coffey at the annual sports dinner and auction. The joint venture with Central Plains Cancer Services was a huge success and guests enjoyed getting pictures with the smooth skating defenceman while hearing some of his stories from the 80's and 90's. Following that, over $20,000 was brought in for both groups with various sports-related items auctioned off. Final fundraising totals from the evening are still being calculated.

The Portage Terriers bounced back on Wednesday night, beating the Niverville Nighthawks 3-1 at Stride Place.

The active military personnel and veterans who were in attendance for Military Appreciation Night had plenty to cheer about in the first period. The team looked strong scoring midway through the first on the power play. Nathan Lenoski was left alone at the side of the net and tapped in a perfect pass from Austin McLean. Cam Bullinger then scored his first of the night less than three minutes later to make it 2-0 Terriers after one.

It's been just over six weeks and 17 regular season games for this year's version of the Portage Terriers. As teams pass the quarter point of the long season, head coach and general manager Blake Spiller is content with how things have gone so far.

The Portage Terriers played great for fifty minutes on Friday night but it wasn’t enough as they fell 4-3  in overtime to the Niverville Nighthawks.

Portage started the game strong scoring on an early power play; Cam Bullinger cleaned up a rebound at the side of the net. The Terriers stayed in control of the play outshooting Niverville 13-8.

The Portage Terriers held their second-ever Ag Expo at the MNP building on Wednesday, strengthening ties between the agricultural and hockey communities.

"We were really happy with how it went," says Terriers Marketing Director Cody Buhler. "We had just over 20 businesses to support us, and that pretty much fills up the MNP building. We wouldn't be able to fit in at too many more booths than that. We had about 100 farmers come out."

Gavin Renwick picked up his second shutout in a row as the Portage Terriers blanked the Winnipeg Blues 2-0 on Wednesday night. The Terriers were in control throughout the game outshooting the Blues 37-18.

Alyandro De Leon opened the scoring for Portage early in the first period. Ryley Cyca then scored his first as a Terrier five minutes later.

It was another win for the Terriers Wednesday evening as the team wrapped up their part of the MJHL showcase event. In a highly anticipated match, the Dogs took out the Virden Oil Caps 4-2 to improve their record to 7-3-3.