Terriers defending on the penalty kill.
Despite coming back in the third to tie the game, the Terriers were unable to close the deal.
Chapman got the start in net for the Dogs and held the Pistons off while Portage was slow to test Bengert. The first goal of the game came at 14:11 from McConnell giving the Pistons the early lead. After 20 minutes Steinbach was outshooting Portage 13-8.
Portage found themselves defending in the 2nd taking four straight penalties and giving up three 5 on 3 opportunities. Steinbach was unable to take advantage and it wasn’t until late in the frame that Koop added to the Pistons lead deflecting a shot past Chapman.
Ty Enns got the Portage crowd going as he cut the lead in half with an unassisted goal at 5:53. Less than three minutes later, Jordan Thomson buried a rebound on Bengert off a shot from AP Dylan Burton who came down on a 2 on 1 to tie the game at 2. The Terriers seemingly had all the momentum, but that was dashed as Graham scored for the Pistons and regained the lead. The Terriers had a chance to come back as Gula took a 4 minute high sticking penalty with close to 6 minutes to go, but were unable to get it done. Steinbach would add an empty netter for the 4-2 final score.
“We didn’t get much luck in the first couple of periods,” says Terriers head coach and GM Blake Spiller. “It seemed like our hard work paid off and we made some plays in the third to get even, and then an unfortunate bounce led to a goal.”
“We also had that four-minute powerplay and we didn’t mount enough there,” continues Spiller. “But for the most part, it was a pretty solid game despite the loss.”
Next up for the Terriers is a back to back stand against the Blizzard Friday and Saturday. Portage’s next home game is on the 15th against Dauphin.