Portage is heading back to Affinity Place today to face the Brooks Bandits to see who will head to Lloydminster to compete in the RBC. The West Kelowna Warriors downed the Bandits last evening 6-0 to earn the Western Canada Cup and their spot in the National tournament.
Finishing 3rd in round robin play, Portage played for their tournament life yesterday afternoon against the Melfort Mustangs. Off to a slow start the Terriers were lucky to be tied at 1 after 20 minutes being outshot 13-5. Warketine scored for Melfort on the power play at 16:03 and Brad Bowles beat Palmer less than a minute later.
In the second Boyer would capitalize on a turnover in Portage’s end to beat Park and take back the lead at 5:08. The score would hold and the Terriers would head to the dressing room trailing by one after forty minutes.
With one period left to keep their RBC berth alive, Chase Brakel would tie the game on the power play at the 6:04 as he chipped the puck in on a scramble from a Weston point shot. Both teams would trade opportunities in the 3rd with Park coming up big for the Terriers. Regulation time would expire with still no winner.
For the second time of the tournament, the Terriers were heading to overtime.
It would take an extra 29:09 to determine the winner, but Nick Henry would get the job done as he deflected a Brad Bowles shot to beat Palmer for the game winner and to keep the Terriers hopes of returning to the RBC alive.