The Waywayseecappo Wolverines will cap off a quick two-game road trip on Saturday night in Portage la Prairie when they meet the first place Terriers.
It was a disappointing start to the Wolverines road swing as they dropped a close 3-2 decision to the Winnipeg Blues on Friday night. After the Blues opened up a 2-0 lead in the first, Brody Moffatt scored with four seconds left in the period to cut the Wolverines deficit to one.
The two clubs would exchange goals in the second period and that would be it for scoring from Winnipeg as the Wolverines would fall to the Blues.
Looking ahead to Saturday nights matchup against the Terriers, it should be another great game between two of the top teams in the league. The last time these clubs met, the Wolverines stormed back in the third period after finding themselves down 3-1.
A quick goal to open the third and one midway through the final twenty minutes locked the game at 3-3 before Tyler Leibl played the overtime hero and potted a rebound in front to launch the Wolverines to a 4-3 win over the Terriers.
Terriers Outlook
After hitting a rough patch that saw the Terriers lose four straight near the end of November, Portage has quickly gotten back on track with three straight in the win column.
The Terriers had five full days off between their 6-3 win over the Winnipeg Blues and tonight’s matchup against the Wolverines.
During that 6-3 win, it was Winnipeg who got off to a 3-1 lead after the first period. Portage would wake up in the second period and score four and add one more in the third.
The Terriers possess a balanced scoring attack with ten players having double digits in points. Leading the way is a pair of 2001-born forwards in Joey Moffatt and Kolten Shindle who both have 18 points in 18 games.
Portage continues to boast a league-best powerplay (28.8%) while their penalty kill (87.8%) also sits first in the MJHL.
News and Notes
It’s just the second time this season these two clubs will meet when they clash on Saturday night in Portage. The Wolverines have now completed 1/3 of their 2019-20 regular season schedule leading into Saturday.
Jaymes Knee scored in his return to the Wolverines lineup on Friday night and will square off with the Terriers for the first time since leaving the game on October 23 after suffering a blow to the head.
Despite Friday nights loss to the Blues, the Wolverines still have a chance to tie the Terriers, sitting just two points back with 25 points.
The MJHL standings are as tight as they have been this season with only six points separating first to eighth.
Where to Watch
Watch tonight’s game between the Wolverines and Terriers live on HockeyTV.com or follow the Wolverines on Twitter @mjhlWolverines for live game updates.