Selkirk picks up 4 points in the home and home and sit in third 10 points ahead of Portage.
A slow start crippled the Terriers’ efforts at Stride Place tonight losing to the Selkirk Steelers in back to back nights.
“A couple of the goals in the first Brock Aiken didn’t have a chance on. I’m sure he’d like to have one or two of them back but it’s been the same thing all year,” says assistant coach Paul Harland. “We just don’t have enough guys going at the same time to put a 60-minute effort together. At times we were pretty good and at other times we weren’t, and at times guys were inconsistent. So if we can’t get 60-minutes from everyone it’s going to be tough to beat a real good team.”
The Terriers were first to strike early in the first with a powerplay goal from Mackenzie Dwyer. Like in so many games before the Steelers came right back with an even up goal from Braden Lozinski on their first shot. Selkirk took the lead a minute later as Gardiner found the back of the net on their third shot. Turner Santin evened the game at two at 9:13, but Selkirk would net 2 more before the frame ended – McCartan and Halvorsen, for a 4-2 lead after 20 minutes.
Chapman came out to start the second in net for the Dogs replacing Aiken and soon faced a Connor Barley breakaway he was unable to stop as it slid five hole. Of the 8 penalties handed out in the frame, 7 of them were to the Terriers. Playing short for almost half the period made it hard to fight their way back. Selkirk was up three after forty minutes.
Looking to get back in it Portage had chances early in the period with breakaways from Sokoloski and Brakel that were unsuccessful. Selkirk scored their 6th of the night on the powerplay at 2:16. Kochanski wakened the quiet crowd scoring his third of the season by beating a sprawled Dola. Santin then picked up his second of the night to pull within two with 4:31 to go. Chapman headed to the bench with over three minutes left in the game, but the Terriers just couldn’t get it done and Cole McCartan picked up his second of the night with an empty netter.
Shots on goal were 26-25 Portage with Brock Aiken recording the loss. The Terriers have tomorrow off and then face the Virden Oil Capitals in an afternoon game on Monday, puck drop 4:30pm.