Portage Terriers History

In the fall of 1967, Portage along with the Selkirk Steelers, Dauphin Kings, and Fort Garry Frontiersmen started the Central Manitoba Junior Hockey League. The very next year, the CMJHL merged with the MJHL. The Terriers played at the Portage Centennial Arena from 1967 to 2010.

National Championship
After disposing of the St. James Canadians in the Manitoba final, it was on to the Anavet Cup Championship against the Humboldt Broncos champions from Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League. Portage held a 3-2 lead in the series after Humboldt won Game 5 at home 7-4. But it turned out there would be no Game 6 after the Broncos forfeited the series by refusing to return to Portage based on what they viewed were overly aggressive tactics being employed by the Terriers. The Terriers needed to rally in amazing fashion to oust the Penticton Broncos of the British Columbia Junior Hockey League in seven games to capture the Abbott Cup, winning the last three games of the series after falling behind 3 games-to-1. The Centennial Cup was a best-of-seven affair against the Pembroke Lumber Kings of the Central Junior A Hockey League, with the first three games in Brandon. Portage trailed 5-2 in Game 1, but Randy Penner refused to let the Terriers lose, scoring all five of Portage’s goals in regulation to force overtime. Glenn Miller scored the go ahead goal in the extra session, which at the time was played in its entirety, and Bob Miller added an empty-netter for a 7-5 victory. Portage won 4-2 and 3-1 to take a 3-0 lead in the series, which then moved to the Winnipeg Arena, where Pembroke stayed alive with a 6-4 win in Game 4. But Penner’s hat trick and Ty Langton’s netminding fueled a 4-2 win in Game 5 to give the Terriers the series.

The 1973 Portage Terriers were inducted into both the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame and the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame.