Story courtesy portageonline.com
The Portage Terriers have now lost seven straight games. The Dogs fell 5-4 to the Selkirk Steelers in a shootout Friday night on home ice.
The scoring began after the midway point in the first period as there was a tie-up on a faceoff in the Terriers’ zone. Tristan Thompson came in from the wing, picked up the loose puck, and immediately fired a backhand shot that found the back of the net. 1-0 Selkirk.
Less than two minutes to go in the frame, during 4-on-4 play, Brandon McCartney received a pass in the corner in the offensive zone. He waited a second for Brandon Funk to get in front and fed the 16-year-old forward in tight who made no mistake about it and tied the game heading into the break.
Thomas Kaufield kicked off the scoring in period two as he brought the puck up the wing, losing his defender in the process. He took a shot on the far side and the puck went right under Hunter Tarves glove and gave the Terriers their first lead.
Late in the period, after Logan Calder took a major-penalty, the Terriers found themselves on the penalty-kill for an extended period, however, they were the ones to take advantage. Austin Peters intercepted a pass in the neutral zone and sprung Jaden Pashe on a breakaway. The local product didn’t disappoint and put the Dogs up 3-1.
A few minutes later, Cameron Hibbert kept the puck for himself in a 2-on-1 break and ripped a shot top shelf that trimmed the lead back to one goal. It remained 3-2 after 40 minutes.
Spencer Penner had the puck behind the Terriers net and flipped it in front to Lucas Brennan and he was able to tie the game up with half a period to play. Portage responded shortly after as Calder scooped the puck up in the offensive zone and beat Tarves short-side. 4-3 Terriers.
With just over a minute left in regulation, the Steelers pulled their goaltender to gain an extra attacker. This would ultimately pay off as Connor Tyhy’s point shot got through a load of bodies and beat Chris Fines five-hole. This tied up the game which is how it would stay after three periods meaning overtime was needed but that didn’t solve anything either, so to a shootout it went.
Lucas Brennan was the first shooter and found the back of the net for Selkirk. After the next two shooters for both teams were stopped, it was up to Jaden Pashe to keep the game alive. His shot looked to beat the goalie but the puck rang off the post and sent the Terriers to the dressing room disappointed as they fell 5-4.
Forward Thomas Kaufield outlines what they could’ve done better tonight.
“Getting pucks out of the zone is a big thing,” Kaufield explains. “There were a few times where we could’ve got the puck out of the zone but we just held onto it for too long. It’s part of the game but it’s time we started learning from our mistakes and getting a few wins here.”
Kaufield describes what they plan to do differently tomorrow.
“Win. That’s it,” says Kaufield. “We’re going to have the same mentality. We’re going to work hard and do what we did this game with a few minor adjustments. Ultimately, we have to sacrifice whatever it takes to win. That’s the goal for tomorrow and that’s what we’re going to do.”
The Terriers will look to cap off this four-game set with the Steelers in the win column tomorrow night in Selkirk.
Before the game Calder was recognized as the Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries player of the month for September/October. He lead the team in scoring with 11 points in 14 games. He receives a $100 prepaid Visa card.
