For the second straight season, the Portage Terriers were slated to play in the National Championship. Only this time the dogs were set to host the Centennial Cup in Portage la Prairie, early in May of 2020.
Following the cancellation of the MJHL postseason due to the COVID-19 Pandemic came the cancellation of the National Championship. For Reece Henry and his teammates on the Terriers, it was a tough pill to swallow but one that he understood.
“Obviously it was tough, just knowing we were hosting the national championship and how good of a group we had, you couldn’t help but think about what we could’ve accomplished,” Henry shared prior to the start of the Terriers preseason. “It wasn’t really something that we could be mad about as a global pandemic is more important than the game of hockey.”
With the ongoing pandemic, Henry managed to keep himself quite busy throughout the summer. And according to the native of Regina, it was a valuable summer that has now sparked a ton of excitement for when the puck drops on October 9th.
“I had a full time job in the summer, and worked out 4-5 days a week. I was very motivated in the gym this year, which led to my most productive summer I’ve ever had.”
“I’m unbelievably excited to get back out there with all the boys and get to know some of the new guys we have coming in. Just excited to be back out on the ice, competing and battling with my teammates. Excited to develop chemistry with some new players this year and win some hockey games.”
It has been quite the ride for Henry during his time in the MJHL, starting with his rookie season where he scored a once in a lifetime goal. Just minutes into overtime, Henry cut wide and found the back of the net in game-seven of the Turnbull Cup Final to help lift the Terriers to victory back in 2018-19.
Now with the disappointment of last season in the review mirror, the 20-year-old veteran is ready to turn the page to a new chapter and leave it all on the ice in his third and final MJHL campaign.
“I think we have a good core coming back and then we have a lot of young guys that are promising that I think will be able to fill big roles. Personally I want to take another step offensively while maintaining my strong work ethic and compete level in the d-zone.”
“I want to grow and develop as a player. As a team, do all that we can do to go on a deep playoff run,” Henry concluded.
