A slow start, and a second period full of penalties, were two main contributors in the Portage Terriers 7-4 loss to Selkirk last night in Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL) hockey at Stride Place in Portage la Prairie. Portage allowed four goals on six shots in the first period and couldn't make up the ground.

"A couple of the goals in the first Brock Aiken didn't have a chance on. I'm sure he'd like to have one or two of them back but it's been the same thing all year," says assistant coach Paul Harland. "We just don't have enough guys going at the same time to put a 60-minute effort together. At times we were pretty good and at other times we weren't, and at times guys were inconsistent. So if we can't get 60-minutes from everyone it's going to be tough to beat a real good team."

Defence didn't seem to be a top priority for either team in a six-goal first period. The Terriers started it off with a powerplay goal. Defender Spencer Kuhlman found partner Mackenzie Dwyer at the back door and he hammered it home passed Steelers goalie Hayden Dola. Selkirk found the back of the net with their first shot, Braden Lozinski let one go from the point and it slipped through Terrier netminder Brock Aiken. Selkirk scored again just a minute later, this time it was Ryan Gardiner. He also found the back of the net from the point, and his goal was on their third shot of the game. Turner Santin was able to even things up for the Terriers, but again the Steelers answered right back. Cole McCartan scored on a two-on-one thanks to a great pass from Gardiner. They would add one more with just over a minute to go to take a 4-2 lead into the second period. The shots were 11-6 in favour of the Terriers after twenty minutes.

It was a tough second period for the Dogs. Kurtis Chapman replaced Brock Aiken to start things off and his first test was a breakaway that found the back of the net through his five-hole. He settled down after that and stopped the remaining 12 shots he faced. Portage only allowed the one goal in the frame but they spent nine of the twenty minutes shorthanded and struggled to get an attack mounted five-on-five. Josh Martin was assessed a five-minute major and ejected for a check to the head on Steeler Carter Barley late in the second. Ty Enns was also handed a 10-minute misconduct on the play. Selkirk led 5-2 through 40 minutes.

Portage looked to be a little more energetic in the final period but luck wasn't on their side. They had two breakaway opportunities while killing off the Martin major. Chase Brakel was robbed by Dola's outstretched pad the first time, Ryan Sokoloski was stoned with the same pad a minute later. Selkirk would score right after to make it 6-2 with little time remaining on the major penalty. Three Minutes later the Terriers cut the Steelers lead to three. Brendan Kochanski netted his third of the year by letting one go up and over a sprawled out Dola. Santin scored his second of the night to make it 6-4 with 4:30 left in the game. Portage pulled their goalie with a little over three minutes to go in the game. Jeremy Leipsic had a chance to cut the lead to one but missed a wide open net with two minutes to go. Selkirk would fight off the Dogs and make their way down the ice to add an empty net goal.

"The start really cost us," says Harland. "When you get behind and you're trying to catch up everything has to go your way, and tonight we had a couple of opportunities to get closer, it might not have got us back into the game, but who's to say. When you're chasing a game and you're that far behind it's tough. You have to work hard shift after shift and bring in what you have, and unfortunately, we haven't been getting that."

The Terriers will rest Sunday and get ready for Monday's match against the Virden Oil Caps. That game is at Stride Place in Portage with puck drop at 4:30 p.m.

Playoff Push

"It looks like after these losses it will be tough to climb in the standings," admits Harland. "We'll probably finish where we are in fifth, but we still have a few games here to play and if we win them you never know what will happen with the rest of the league. Fourth might still be a reality but second and third look a lot tougher, but wherever you end up will be your draw and you make the best of it from there."

The Terriers sit in fifth place with 69 points. They're six points back of fourth place OCN, 10 points back of Selkirk and Winkler who are tied for third with 79 points. Steinbach sits atop the league with 89 points, 20 above the Terriers. The Winnipeg Blues are 12 points back of the Dogs in sixth place, so dropping in the standings won't be easy.

Harland adds they've got a young team and they need to learn to play hard every night or their season could end quickly. "We're close to the playoffs and we need to make sure we're bringing our work ethic for 60-minutes otherwise it could be a short postseason."