The U13 Portage Terriers are hitting their stride at the right time.

The squad came away with a tournament victory this past weekend in Swan Valley after winning their final game of the event in overtime. Head coach Mitch Brennan describes their 6-5 win over Swan River as a nailbiter.

"We were down two goals early in the first period and battled back to tie it," says Brennan. "We went down another two goals at the beginning of the third period and battled back to tie it. We were up by a goal with about five minutes to go in the third period and Swan River tied it on the power-play. Then, we had to kill a penalty at the end of regulation and into overtime."

Brennan notes, in overtime, the game nearly went the other way as the puck stopped on the goalline of the Portage net but did not make it across. About a minute later is when the Terriers were able to seal the deal.

The head coach adds this group deserved the chance to celebrate.

"To put the effort they put in right through that tournament and have it pay off for them, they were pretty ecstatic. They really worked their tails off through the weekend. I love to see when you put the effort in, and you get success out of it."

The U13 Terriers had a tough start to the season, according to Brennan. He says they played many of the top teams at the beginning of the season but have come a long way since then.

"We've really started to come together here recently. We're starting to see some really great improvement from the kids. To be able to go to this tournament and have an overall record of five wins and one loss over the weekend was great. We definitely got to see the fruits of some of that labour that they've put in."

Brennan says the team has three games this weekend before they take a break for the holidays. He believes they are hitting their stride at the right time, and the coach hopes to continue their success into 2023.

Portage Minor Hockey has seen Brennan behind one of their team's benches for the last six seasons. He says sharing his passion for hockey is what makes him return every season.

"I love seeing their development and I love seeing their improvement. It really is a great age group of kids" Brennan continues. "I enjoy so much to see these kids love the game, them growing themselves as hockey players, helping them prepare for whatever that next step is going to be in their hockey careers. I feed off of their enthusiasm. Just being around the kids and seeing them grow and how much they love the game is really what keeps me coming back."

The U13 Terriers will play host to the U13 Winkler Flyers on Friday at the BDO Centre.

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