The Portage Terriers dominated from start to finish Wednesday night, beating the Winnipeg Freeze 10-3.
Despite starting the game with only 14 skaters, the Terriers scored early and often. Noah Wagner opened the scoring 32 seconds into the game and they never looked back. Brenden Holba made it 2-0 four minutes later. He played one of his best games of the season finishing with two goals and two assists. After the second goal, the Freeze pulled goalie Keegan Gordon. He made three saves on five shots. Michael O’Sullivan came into the game and didn’t fare much better. He stopped the first seven shots he faced to hold the Terriers off the score sheet to close out the first period.
In the first five minutes of the second, Ryan Botterill scored his first of three on the night . Winnipeg’s Lochlan Stefanishyn responded quickly on a nice breakaway goal to make it 3-1. Midway through the period the flood gates opened. Holba scored on the power play, Peters scored a pair and Calder added another to make it 7-1 Portage. The 5th and 6th goals were scored nine seconds apart. Portage outshot the Freeze 18-5 in the period.
Portage continued their hot play in the third period, scoring on the power play in the first five minutes. The Freeze responded quickly with another breakaway goal. With the score out of hand, Brock MacDonald scored his first as a Terrier, and Botterill completed the hattrick. With less than 10 seconds to go Briggs Jowett scored on the power play for the Freeze to make it 10-3.
Jayden Catellier stopped 19 of the 22 shots he faced. Portage finished 3/5 on the power play. Nine Terriers finished with 2 or more points.
The Terriers are back in action on Sunday night when they visit the Niverville Nighthawks.
