The Portage Terriers picked up their third win in a row Wednesday night beating the visiting Winnipeg Freeze 5-2 at Stride Place. Portage now moves into a tie with Selkirk for the final playoff spot in the Eastern division.
The Terriers never trailed in the game and took their first lead midway through the opening period. The Terriers killed off an early high sticking penalty to Brandon Funk before getting a power play of their own. With the man advantage Jaden Pashe ripped a one-timer over Winnipeg goalie Keegan Gordon for his 6th of the season.
Portage would get into some penalty trouble in the second period and Winnipeg got on the board. Early in the frame Nathan Driver tucked a rebound under Jayden Catellier to tie the game at one. Terrier captain Logan Calder regained the lead for Portage five minutes later when he banged home a loose puck as he was driving to the net. Portage extended their lead when Austin Peters fired a shot off the rush past Gordon. With seconds to go before the second intermission Ryder Ringor scored on the power play to draw Winnipeg back within one goal.
The third period started with Austin Peters in the penalty box for slashing. Portage was able to kill the penalty and extend their lead 11 minutes later. Calder tipped a point shot on the power play for his second of the night. It put him at 26 points on the season and brought his scoring average to exactly one point per game. With time ticking down and the game out of reach, Thomas Kaufield fought for a loose puck and made it 5-2 Portage.
The Terriers finished the night 2/4 on the power play and outshot the Freeze 31-16. Portage now gets set for a home and home series with the Waywayseecappo Wolverines starting on Friday at Stride Place. Puck drop is set for 7:30 pm.
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