A crazy ending to the game saw the Portage Terriers hold on for a 6-5 victory over the Winkler Flyers. It was their fifth win this season against Winkler. For head coach and GM Blake Spiller it was his 750th regulation win as head coach of the Terriers.
The Terriers got off to a fast start with a tap-in goal 38 seconds into the game. Drayden Uhrina finished off a beautiful cross-crease pass for his eleventh of the season.
After the Flyers knotted it up, Beck Bethard would notch his third goal, a shot off the crossbar and in to make it 2-1.
Edward Knittig would tally his seventh of the season as Trevor Hill and Drayden Uhrina would set him up to make it 3-1 a little over halfway through the period. The Flyers would add one before the end of the period, making it 3-2 Portage after 20 minutes.
Knittig notes that the physical aspect of the game was something the team was prepared for.
“You’ve gotta bring your ‘A’ game. You have to be a man out there and toughen up. You’re going to take some hits, and you’re going to give some hits. And we walked away with the win.”
In the second period Jonah Lemoine would find some room at the side of the goal as Breck Hirrschoff fed him across the crease to make it 4-2 with less than half the period remaining.
Another goal by the Flyers would bring it to a one-goal game with time running down, 4-3 Portage after the second frame.
Uhrina would add his second of the night, and Dexter Materi put up his third of the season in the third to tally the Terriers 6 goals in the game.
Uhrina’s three points were big in the game, and he says there’s still more for the team to work on.
“It’s hard, giving up those two, but we battled through. It’s a big win for sure. I think every practice matters now, no matter what. No matter who we play, no matter where we are in the standings. We need a playoff spot, and we need to, hopefully, win it this year.”
The Flyers stormed back with a pair of goals in the late going on the power play, but fell short, as the Terriers won 6-5.
Logan Cunningham tallied his first win as a Terrier in the game, after arriving in Portage on Friday. He adds that he’s really enjoyed the experience, especially the first game.
“It was really exciting. I got a lot of help from the team, I didn’t make every save, but I made the important ones at the end there. It was good to get another game under my belt, and kind of get back into the groove of things.”
The Dogs will get ready for a visit to Steinbach on Wednesday. They return to home ice on Friday night against the Swan Valley Stampeders. Puck drop at Stride Place will be at 7:30 p.m.
