The Portage Terriers didn't waste an opportunity at home to pick up points in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL) playoff race.

James McIsaac and Ty Barnstable each had a pair of goals, as the Terriers cruised past the Swan Valley Stampeders 7-2 Saturday night at the PCU Centre in Portage la Prairie. The win, coupled with an OCN loss to the Selkirk Steelers, moved the Terriers two points up on the Blizzard for fourth-place.

“As time goes on you definitely want to make hay here at home and get some wins,” says Terriers head coach Blake Spiller. “...We're not a real big physical team so we have to use our speed to turn over pucks. I think we've done that really well lately.”

“We definitely want to finish as high as we can and try to get home ice advantage (in the playoffs).”

Ryan Sokoloski, Ty Enns and Jeremey Leipsic also scored for the Terriers, which scored five unanswered goals after falling behind early. Shane Roulette and Cody Ellingson tallied for Swan Valley.

The Stampeders took a 1-0 lead just 1:45 after puck drop, as Roulette intercepted a weak clearing attempt just inside the blue line then beat Brock Aiken on the glove-hand side with a wrist shot from the high slot.

The Terriers would answer shortly after on the power play. Mackenzie Dwyer faked a shot from the point, and passed off to McIsaac on the half-board. McIsaac found Barnstable unmarked in the high slot and he fired a shot past Connor Slipp on the blocker side.

Ryan Sokoloski gave the hosts a 2-1 lead with 4:07 to play in the first, streaking up the left wing on a 2-on-1 rush and electing to keep the puck, beating Slipp high over the blocker.

Swan Valley nearly tied the game in the late stages of the first, as Daylin Smallchild shot through traffic from the point and beat a screened Aiken, but rang the crossbar.

McIsaac put the Terriers ahead 3-1 with 13:51 to go in the second, cutting through the slot and shooting across his body along the ice to beat Slipp five-hole.

Then just past the midway mark of the second, Barnstable connected for his second power play goal, one-timing a cross-crease pass from McIsaac into a wide open net to make it 4-1. Leipsic scored the Terriers' fifth unanswered goal with 42 seconds left in the middle frame, putting the hosts ahead 5-1.

Midway through the third period, Ellingson scored a power play goal to cut the Terriers' lead to 5-2. He walked off the half-boards towards the face off dot, beating Aiken over the shoulder with a heavy shot that obliterated the netminder's water bottle.

The Terriers restored their four-goal lead with just under four minutes left in regulation. Leipsic and McIsaac broke up ice on a 2-on-1 rush. After entering the Swan Valley zone, Leipsic feathered a pass to McIsaac, who was loaded up for a one-timer on the left wing and connected perfectly, firing the puck past Slipp to make it 6-2. Enns would add another goal with just 16 seconds remaining in regulation.

Aiken made 13 saves in the win, while Slipp stopped 22 taking the loss. Portage outshot Swan Valley 29-15 while going 2 for 3 on the power play; Swan Valley finished 1 for 3.

HOT NIGHT

The forward line of McIsaac, Barnstable and Enns put together a strong offensive night, combining for 11 points. McIsaac led the way with five points (2-3—5) while Barnstable and Enns each added three.

“The line of Enns, Barnstable and McIsaac has been good for us the past few games,” Spiller says. “You definitely need to have more than one line going and I think those guys give us (another) line ... hopefully we're going to be deep enough going forward.”

BUMPS AND BRUISES

Defenceman Layne Toder (concussion) missed his second straight game and will be out of the lineup again Sunday night against Waywayseecappo, but could return as early as next Friday in Dauphin ... Defenceman Spencer Kuhlman (lower-body) won't likely return until sometime in February ... Defenceman Nick Doyle (lower-body) will skate Wednesday but still has no date set for his return.

UP NEXT

Portage (28-13-1) heads on the road Sunday night to face the Waywayseecappo Wolverines (8-30-4). The Terriers have won all three previous meetings between the two clubs this season, outscoring the Wolverines 20-10 in the process.