Shootouts on back-to-back nights saw Portage claim a pair of weekend victories, with the second coming against the Winkler Flyers 3-2 on Sunday night.
Trevor Hill notched the games first goal on a nice play by Drayden Uhrina, feeding him the puck across the crease. Both teams would get chances on the powerplay, but neither capitalized in the first frame on the man-advantage. 1-0 Portage after 20 minutes.
A scramble near the crease in the second period found Uhrina’s stick, and he tucked it home to make it 2-0 Portage. Winkler would answer with a powerplay goal in the frame, making it 2-1 after the second period.
Uhrina says, despite being involved in both goals during regulation, he thinks the most important player tonight was at the other end of the ice.
“I thought we played a great game today. Mitch, he’s the MVP in the league right now. He’s just unreal. Now we just have to build off it. We’re hot right now, and let’s just stay hot.”
Winkler would tie the game late in the third period with the net empty, and the game would go to extra time again.
Nothing was solved in overtime. In the shootout Trevor Hill would score, as would Wyatt Dreger in the fifth round to win it for Portage, 3-2.
Jonah Lemoine was named the Klean King Hardest Working Player for the game, and says he feels that the effort has been there in both weekend games.
“The last two games, we faced a lot of adversity, but we battled through it, and I think that shows what kind of team we are, and why we’re one of the top teams in the league.”
The team will get a couple nights off before hosting the Winnipeg Blues on Wednesday, November 26 at 7:30 p.m.
