MANITOBA JUNIOR HOCKEY LEAGUE
The Portage Terriers:
Winning
Breeds Winning
By Matt Hermiz
Photos by Matt Hermiz and Jeff Miller
They were not the team to beat when the
Manitoba Junior Hockey League playoffs
began. In fact, the Portage Terriers were the
fifth-place team in the MJHL heading into the
post-season. That’s when the magic started.
Now, for the third-straight year, head coach
Blake Spiller’s Terriers are the Provincial
Junior A champions. When it comes to the
Dawgs, winning does indeed breed winning.
14 GAME ON
2017 CHAMPIONS EDITION
PORTAGE/OCN MB. -- The team to beat. Front-runners. Fa-
vourites.
Those are words used to describe recent Portage Terriers’ teams
that have gone on to win Manitoba Junior Hockey League cham-
pionships. Take the RBC Cup winning 2014-15 Terriers – a 53-3-4
regular season, two 14-game winning streaks and a perfect 12-0
playoff run. Or the 2015-16 Terriers, which won a remarkable 31
straight games en route to a second straight MJHL title.
This was one different.
There was no massive winning streak, no records set along the
way. A 37-19-4 regular season and a fifth-place finish. Competitive,
but by no means favourites. This Terriers team was the underdog.
Still, the end was the same. A 1-0 win over the Opaswayak Cree Na-
tion (OCN) Blizzard in Game 6 of the MJHL final on April 19, assured
the one word this team will be remembered by. And it rings in-tune
with the past two seasons: Champions.
“I think this year was a lot different,” said forward Chase Brakel,
one of seven returning players. “In the room and everything, being