A great crowd of Portage Terriers' fans turned out to Stride Place for their pep rally yesterday.

"It's a great event," says Captain Riley Thiessen. "The fans get to come out and meet us, and we appreciate their support all year, especially the fans that make it out to every game. It's good for us as well."

Thiessen was part of the Terriers' send off last year at Stride Place. Rookie forward Takato Cox says it was a really cool night.

"It's a great thing for the community. They came out all year to support us and it's good to give back and make them happy."

Fans gather around while Golden West's Ryan Simpson announces each player from the team. (Photo by Aaron Wilgosh)

Fans were treated to a hamburger dinner for a cheap five bucks. They also got to meet each team member and get a signed photo of the team. Forward Ty Enns was honoured by all the fans stopping by.

"It's really cool being able to host the Turnbull and have the whole town behind us going to Westerns. It's been a really supportive town all year, they really love the Terriers, and all of this is pretty cool."

The Dogs leave for the Western Canada Cup in Penticton, BC, Friday and play their first game of the tournament on Sunday.