LAC LA BICHE –
Forty-eight hours after losing 6-3 to Red Deer Polytechnic on the road on Thursday, the Portage College Voyageurs returned home Saturday night but didn't benefit from home cooking, as they were once again crowned by the Kings by a 6-3 score. The game was actually a close contest for two periods, with both teams exchanging goals and chances. However, a late second period penalty proved costly to the Voyageurs as the Kings took quick advantage of the opportunity. Instead of entering the dressing room after 40 minutes deadlocked at 2, the Voyageurs found themselves trailing by a goal entering the final frame.
"For the first two periods, we come out, we're doing the little things right, we're moving the puck, we're getting shots on net, we're outshooting our opponent," said Portage Assistant Coach Mark Ziobro. "We just took a really bad penalty at the end of the second period and you know, that hurts us going into the third."
From there, the game turned feisty, with several players from both sides spending most of the third period in the sin bin. The Kings took advantage of a few more powerplays and sealed the deal in the final 20 minutes. Meanwhile, the Voyageurs finished zero for the night on the man advantage.
"I think overall our team just needs to find ways to win and really bear down in the third period," said Ziobro, who patrolled the bench along with Les Cote, with Head Coach Kevin McClelland serving the second game of a two-game suspension. "We need to do the little things right throughout the whole game. It's a 60-minute game and right now throughout the whole season we haven't found a 60-minute game yet. We're still battling with injuries and sickness but that's not an excuse for us. Guys in the lineup need to bear down, be men and take the game by the horns. So overall I think we played a solid two first periods and come the third we just kicked ourselves in the foot again."
The Voyageurs have a chance to heal their wounds and regroup with a break in the schedule. Portage next plays on Friday, February 18 at home versus Concordia, before finishing the regular season with four road games.
Players of the Game
- Red Deer: Erik Miller (2 goals)
- Portage: Brody Dale (1 goal, 1 assist)