The Portage Terriers have not lost a game since Oct. 13th and now sit atop of the MJHL heading into a busy weekend around the league.
A 5-2 win over the Winnipeg Blues on Wednesday night in Portage increased the Terriers win streak to eleven straight games. The last time the dogs won 11 in a row was December 12th to January 18th 2018/19. The longest streak before that was the team record of 20 wins in a row January 5th to March 1st 2016.
The Terriers have gone through their 11 game win streak while rotating goalies Mitchell Kathler (6-0), and Ryan Velan (5-0). Cam Bullinger leads the MJHL with 29 points which includes 10 goals and 19 assists.
So, It Begins
Oct. 16th vs Niverville
Portage wins 3-1
There was a sense of something special about to happen when in a 1-1 game, Portage scored two goals in 9 seconds, then locked down the game for the first win of the streak.
Oct. 19th vs Steinbach
Portage wins 4-2
In his Terrier debut, goaltender Ryan Velan made 38 saves for his first win. The group jumped out to a 3-0 first period lead scoring first shorthanded, then on the power play and capped off by a 5 on 5 goal.
Oct. 20th @ Virden
Portage wins 5-2
A rarity during the streak, Portage actually opened the scoring as Tristan Gravenor scored once in the first and once in the second. Virden got to within one but that’s as close as they would get as Portage scored twice in 25 seconds at the midway point of the third to put away any doubt.
Comeback Season
Oct. 25th @ Virden
Portage wins 5-3
Things looked bleak for the dogs, down 3-0 halfway through the game. But, Cam Bullinger’s shorthanded marker propels a massive comeback, being the first of 5 unanswered goals, keeping the streak alive heading into a lengthy homestand.
Streak Threatened but Lives On
Oct. 26th vs Freeze
Portage wins 2-1 in OT
Not every game is going to be pretty. Frustrated throughout as the group piled up the shots, especially in the third period when they fired 21 on goal, they showed off their maturity, sticking with the plan and eventually finding the win in overtime thanks to Adam Belzil’s heroics.
Oct. 30th vs Blues
Portage wins 3-1
Another instance where Bullinger was the catalyst, putting the team on his back. The 20-year-old scored to tie the game on a power play in the first then netted the eventual game winner in the third. Another game where the team allowed less than 20 shots.
Magnificent Mujcin
Nov. 1st vs Virden
Portage wins 4-0-
No one started November like Decker Mujcin. He started the new month by scoring a natural hat trick, which helped the 20-year-old into double digits in goals, while also kickstarting a stretch of games where he would find the back of the net for 3 straight.
Nov. 3rd vs Winkler
Portage wins 3-1
Like a heavy weight boxing match, the Terriers took a punch just to give one right back. Down 1-0, Koy Funk helped set up the equalizer before scoring the eventual game winner just past the midway point of the second.
Nov. 9th vs Swan
Portage wins 3-2
Wrapping up a home stand by starting a game giving up the first goal. Not shaken, Mujcin caps off scoring a pair, making it 6 goals in 3 games to start the month. Passing a tough mental test after once again being down first but answering back. Unable to pull away, the Terriers did the job and came away with a one-goal win.
Finding Another Scoring Level
Nov. 11th @ Freeze
Portage wins 6-2
Surprise surprise, the Terriers gave up the first goal. While not ideal, the team has never seemed to mind being down first. Newer addition Caleb Lepitre scores twice, his first two goals as a Terrier on a night where 12 players hit the score sheet in the win.
Nov. 13th vs Blues
Portage wins 5-2
Portage scored first this time! Sure, they gave up the tying goal 14 seconds later, but they managed to rattle off four straight goals, two of which were on the power play and finished a strong 3/5 on the man advantage, claiming their 11th victory in a row.
Up Next
While the streak is nice, that’s far from the focus of the group. They’re focused on wins and going about their business in a way to be successful long term. They’ll have their work cut out for them coming up with a pair of games up north against the Northern Manitoba Blizzard, followed by games against Niverville, Dauphin and Selkirk.
