Portage Terriers are the champions of the MJHL.
In an unbelievable, tension-filled game, Terriers’ forward Reece Henry scored the game winner to give the Terriers a thrilling 3-2 win over Swan Valley Stampeders. Terriers won the best of seven series 4-3 in a battle of the top two clubs in the MJHL.
This is the fourth Turnbull Cup in five seasons for the Terriers, who now play Battleford Stars for the ANAVET Cup. Stamps forced overtime when Matt Osadick evened the game with just seven seconds left in regulation time. It was his second goal of the game.
“We had a bit of a breakdown,” Terriers’ GM/Head Coach Blake Spiller said of the tying goal. “We left a guy wide open in front of our net. But we came back in overtime. We have a good club, a real veteran club with a good group of young guys.”
“This is just an unbelievable feeling,” said Henry, who was named player of the game. “I was trying to block a shot and the puck squirted out. I went for it and coming in I really had no clue what I was going to do. I went backhand; and had an open net. I saw the puck slide in. It was an unbelievable feeling.”
Terriers scoring was rounded out by Sam Huston and Chase Brakel.
It was an unbelievable display of solid goaltending with Nathan Moore in net for the Terriers, while Merek Pipes was in the Stamps’ net. Stamps’ Brady Goethals was named Top Scorer of the playoffs.
Terriers’ veteran Brakel is looking forward to the upcoming ANAVET Cup best of seven. He has previous experience playing in the former Western Canada Cup format.
“This was an unbelievable game,” said Brakel. “We stuck together and got back to work in the overtime.”
