For the first time in 22 years, a Portage high school hockey team is competing for the Zone Four high school hockey league title. The playoff dust is settling and they are down to two teams, the Portage Collegiate Trojans and the Carman Cougars. 

The final is expected to be a battle of the ages with the two teams finishing 1-2 in the standings, with neither team holding a strong edge in any area. The Trojans finished at 19-2-1 while Carman was 19-3 and ended the regular season on an 18 game win streak. Carman scored 13 more goals than the Trojans but PCI allowed 18 less.

Both teams have some huge fire power, Carmen is led by the leagues leading scorer in Ryan Orchard (59 regular season points) and Slade Sotheran (52pts) while PCI counters with Alex Van Deynze (51pts) and league MVP Layne Rands. (50pts) In net, the Trojans feature the leagues goaltender of the year in Rowan Cherkas (1.70 gaa) while Carman counters with Gabe Mondry who was second in G.A.A. at 2.53. Both made the All-star team. The teams met three times in the regular season and the Trojans won two of them.

PCI's coaching staff also took home "coaches of the year" honours from the league and head coach Dave Van Deynze says the players are excited. Game 1 is set for 3:15 pm today at the BDO Centre while game two goes tomorrow night in Carman. Should game three be needed it would happen Saturday, also at the BDO. Being a short series, Van Deynze comments being ready is even more important than usual. 

"That's right, especially when you're playing against good teams. You know they they can beat you on any given night, if you show up with a poor effort, boy you're behind right off the bat, so we'll have to make sure we're ready to go for sure. Carman will be real tough, no doubt about it. And if you look at their record over their last 22 games, they're undefeated. They lost a couple games early in the season and haven't lost one since, we're going to have to bring our best for sure"

Although it is a bit of a hockey cliche, Van Deynze says they have a balanced enough team that they can focus on what they do best rather than trying to zero in on strengths Carman brings to the table.

"It's absolutely all about our own strengths. I think we have what we need to to make this happen. So it's going to be about making sure we do the things that have made ourselves successful, and we've been working hard here in the last few weeks to bring an identity to the team. We're doing what we call Trojan hockey and that's really playing with the effort that we need to bring. It's a pretty well rounded group and that's the best part about it. We're not relying on one or two guys to make all the difference for us. There's a half a dozen or more players on any given night that can really contribute in different ways, so it really balances out and gives us the advantage we need most nights." 

Whomever wins the title, it will be the first in a long time. Portage last won a Zone 4 hockey banner in the year 2000 when the Arthur Meighen Squires accomplished the feat. Carman's last title came in 2004. Both teams have already qualified for provincials at their respective level.

 

Layne Rands of Portage was the 2021/22 Zone 4 League MVP