Terriers Hold Head Up High

The Portage Terriers capped off their 2011 season as the West representative at the RBC Cup - National Junior Championships.

Jason Kasdorf helped the Terriers to their only win at the RBC Cup. Kasdorf shut down the Eastern representative, and eventual RBC National Champions - the Pembroke Lumbar Kings - with 29 saves, and was awarded with the Player of the Game.

Previous to the tournament, Portage competed against the SJHL champion, the La Ronge Ice Wolves, in a best of seven battle of the ages. The 4-0 win in the seventh game of the Anavet Cup interprovincial junior hockey championship was in front of a crowd of 1,805 in the PCU Arena. Backed by goaltender Jason Kasdorf's 19-save shutout, the Terriers won the best-of-seven series 4-3.

Before the Anavet Cup, Manitoba's Terriers triumphed over the Selkirk Steelers with a 4 games to 1 series win to take the MJHL Turnbull Championship.

Through a long and treacherous season, the Terriers were a strong force within the Canadian Hockey Junior League as they represented Manitoba and the West Region with pride, teamwork, and a relentless commitment to success.

Terriers Hold Head Up High

Goaltending Remains a Strong Point for Terriers

In most recent MJHL news Terriers GM, Blake Spiller, discusses several reasons for how the Portage Terriers have matured into a winning organization.

With all their hard work to build a winning team and consistently succeed, the Terriers are grateful for the opportunity to compete in another MJHL final, and are hoping to take home the championship.

“We went through two tough playoff series to get where we are now, and we’re fortunate to be where we are in the finals,” says Spiller, “We’ve had our breaks (in the finals) here and there, but our goaltending has been steady in the regular season and in the playoffs.

We’re happy to be in the finals. We want to put our best foot forward and have some success.”

For more on this article by Lorelei Leona Click Here.

Game 4 of the MJHL Final takes place Friday night in Selkirk. Start time is 7:30 PM. For the full schedule Click Here.

Goaltending Remains a Strong Point for Terriers

Kasdorf Pushes Himself to Perfection: Terriers Up 3-2 in Semi's

By his own admission, Portage Terriers’ netminder Jason Kasdorf wasn’t happy with his outing which resulted in a loss to Dauphin Kings.

With two consecutive wins ─ the most recent a 6-0 victory ─ Kasdorf has rebounded nicely. He’s hoping his A-Game continues Tuesday in Dauphin when the two clubs resume their Sher-Wood Division final which Terriers now lead 3-2.

“Dauphin is a very patient team,” says Kasdorf. “They really don’t waste a lot of shots…they like to take high-quality shots. It’s been a great series against them.”

The second-year Terrier netminder admits that he has enjoyed almost every minute of this year’s playoff run.

“I really like the intensity,” he says with a laugh. “The games have been tight, and excellent hockey for the fans. It’s been fun watching from my viewpoint.

“Yes, it’s intense….but it’s also a lot of fun.”

Kasdorf’s stats have also been impressive thus far. He’s allowed only 18 goals in 490 minutes played, with a 2.20 GAA and .921 save percentage. His record coming into Tuesday’s game is 6-2.

Kasdorf, a graduate of the Winnipeg Thrasher program, will be taking his game to the college level after he leaves junior. He recently committed to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

“At this stage of the season a person can’t look too far ahead,” he says. “Right now you should be focusing on one game at time.”

That game goes Tuesday in Dauphin.

For more on this article Click Here.

Kasdorf Pushes Himself to Perfection: Terriers Up 3-2 in Semi's

Small Town Hockey - Critical to the Big Leagues

WINKLER -- Maybe somewhere in a Manhattan office the commissioner of the NHL was working on a lineup that could help him with a sticky situation in the desert but out on the prairie there was hockey on Friday night.

Real, down-home, grassroots, town hockey.

The kind where your brother is on one line skating with the slick kid from Plum Coulee or Cooks Creek.

Up in the stands folks look down and after a nice goal maybe remark, "He kinda reminds of me Eric Fehr."

This is Canadian junior hockey, where the game is what matters and not which town can come up with phantom buyers for bonds or who has the best lawyer.

Nope, the team with the stingiest goalie and the swiftest skaters is most often the winner. Funny, how that works.

The Selkirk Steelers ended up on the right end of things this night beating the Winkler Flyers 5-2 in Game 1 of the MJHL Addison Division Final.

In Portage, the Dauphin Kings ruled the Terriers in Game 1 of their Sher-Wood Division best-of-seven with a 6-4 victory.

There weren't a lot of $200 game-worn jerseys or suits in the crowd of 1,500-plus in Winkler's downtown barn, where they keep it so cold the ice doesn't chew up and a toque is never a bad idea. There were snowmobile jackets and lots of ball caps, and, did we mention?, hockey. Fast, physical and fun. The kind of hockey Maurice Richard and Gordie Howe grew up on.

To read the full article written by Gary Lawless in the Winnipeg Free Press Click Here.

Small Town Hockey - Critical to the Big Leagues

MJHL Playoffs Update - Portage Terriers

Hot off their overtime victory twenty four hours earlier in game one, the Portage Terriers played host to game two on Thursday evening.

After both teams had goals disallowed early on, the Stampeders opened the scoring with just over three minutes remaining in the middle frame to give the visitors the 1-0 lead through forty minutes. The Terriers evened the score at one, nine and a half minutes into the third as Tyler Moore buried the biscuit on the power play. Tanner Harms and Brett Adnum picked up assists on the goal that sent the game to overtime for the second consecutive night.

After a scoreless ten minute overtime period settled nothing, both clubs took a well deserved intermission break. Andrew Wiebe made sure early that the weak of heart would not suffer as the Thunder Bay native snapped home the goal that sent the home town faithful into a frenzy. Mike Gemmell and Jason Kasdorf assisted on the game winner just two minutes into the fifth period.

Kasdorf, for the second night in a row, picked up the victory in net stopping 40 of the 41 shots directed his way. Through the two ten-minute overtime frames Kasdorf was peppered with 13 shots, holding of the Stampeders attack and then assisting on Andrew Wiebe's game-winning goal at the two minute mark.

Both teams will now have three days off before meeting in Swan River for game three next Monday night. Game four will follow that up on Tuesday evening, once again at the home of the Stampeders.

For the full game summary Click Here.

MJHL Playoffs Update - Portage Terriers