While the Portage Terriers may be in the thick of things fighting for the Centennial Cup, last Friday, things were more light-hearted as a handful of Dogs took to Portage Collegiate Institute's (PCI) west-side gymnasium to play floor hockey against Life Skills students.

A large crowd of students was on hand to see the exhibition between their hometown MJHL team and the Life Skills program.

Physical Education Teacher Bert de Vries explains that Terriers Kian Calder and Ryan Botterill work with the Life Skills students at the school and helped set the event up by bringing six teammates.

"It's just a great opportunity to get everybody involved, and the Terriers do a great job with that," says de Vries.

Austin Peters, Bailey Monteith, Brock MacDonald, Noah Wagner, Parker Scherr and Mike Stubbs were the other Dogs who made their way down to the friendly game.

De Vries notes that it is always exciting for the Terriers to come to the school and participate in events with students.

"The kids enjoy having them (Terriers players) around, and I am trying to make this a yearly thing."

The Teacher adds that the Life Skills classes go through multiple sports with Special Olympics, such as Track and Field, Soccer, Basketball, etc. However, when the floor hockey equipment is broken out, spirits are lifted even higher than in a regular class.

"With COVID, things shut down. We are trying to get things going and get some of that culture back into the school," says de Vries.

There was no official victor of the contest, but it's safe to say that everyone who participated felt like a winner.