Portage Terriers

A rocky start to the season has the Portage Terriers 2-4-0-0 so far, but a game tonight against the Winnipeg Freeze could get them closer to evening up their record.

The Freeze have yet to record a win this season, however, the Freeze have faced the MJHL-leading Selkirk Steelers twice, along with a single matchup against the Steinbach Pistons and the Niverville Nighthawks.

Portage comes into the game with two wins in their last five games, coming against the Dauphin Kings on the road, and at home against the Neepawa Titans in a shootout.

Tristan Gravenor and Emrick Paradis travelled from Quebec to Manitoba in September to test their chops against junior hockey talent in the province. The two players have found a place on the roster in Portage, each getting into action in the early going of the regular season.

Gravenor hails from Montréal and says the adjustment has gone pretty well.

A couple of defensive giveaways in their own end were the Terrier's undoing in this game, as they fell 3-0 to the Selkirk Steelers.

A two-on-none for Selkirk created the first goal of the game, as goaltender Mitchell Kathler was given little help. 1-0 Selkirk after the first period.

The second period didn't see any goals, as the two teams exchanged chances, with the shots ending up 20-16 in Portage's favour.

A perfect night on the penalty kill was offset by an inability to score on the powerplay as the Northern Manitoba Blizzard waltzed out of Stride Place with a 5-1 victory.

Adler Johnston scored the game's opening goal on a shorthanded break. Cam Bullinger made a nice play to get the puck out of their end, and Johnston did the rest, beating the Blizzard netminder. But that was all the offense would muster.

The Blizzard would tie it just over two minutes later, one second after the Terriers killed off over three minutes of penalties, tying the game at 1.

A couple new names are expected to be lining up for the Portage Terriers tonight as they face off with the newly rebranded Northern Manitoba Blizzard.

Portager Koy Funk has joined the team after training camp in Calgary with the WHL's Hitmen. Alex Thompson was acquired from the Winkler Flyers earlier in the week, and Cale Nachai was brought in via trade with the Melville Millionaires of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League.

Monday night saw the Portage and District Terriers organization host their Annual General Meeting (AGM) at Stride Place.

The meeting focused on the replacement of several resigning board members, along with the release of their financial statement for the year. Re-elected President Dave Koroscil outlines how the organization felt about the season.

The Portage Terriers have traded the MJHL rights for Mitch Vanderwey to the Winkler Flyers along with a player development fee in exchange for Alex Thompson, a 2006-born defenceman from Winnipeg.

Thompson spent the last two seasons in Portland playing with the Winterhawks. He played 40 games in the 2022-23 season and then 19 games during 2023-24.

Vanderwey spent last season U18 AAA hockey with the Thunder Bay Kings and is expected to spend this season in the NAHL, playing with the Minnesota Mallards.

Another tight game went down between the Portage Terriers and Neepawa Titans in the second game of a season-opening home-and-home series. This time it was Portage coming out on top 3-2 in a shootout.

The Titans scored the game's opening goal in the dying seconds of a powerplay, as Caden Hegarty found some room in the slot and put a shot past Mitchell Kathler to make it 1-0 Neepawa.

The Portage Terriers and Neepawa Titans will meet up for the second time in as many nights, this time for the Dogs home opener.

The first matchup saw Neepawa win 7-6 in a tightly contested affair, and also dealt Portage a significant blow when a player who was expected to be a major contributor on the squad, Scott Cousins was injured early in the game.

The Terriers will look to open their home schedule with a win to bring their record back to an even one win and one loss.

A tough test ended with multiple fights, and 13 total goals scored, as the Portage Terriers lost their season-opener against the Neepawa Titans, 7-6. 

Owen Witt scored the game's first goal just over four minutes into play. He got the puck near the blueline, beat his man wide, got a shot off and buried the rebound to kick off the campaign, drawing assists from Adler Johnston and his defensive partner, Grant Dardis.

Caden Hegarty would answer back for the Titans on the powerplay after Parker Scherr took an interference penalty.