VOYAGEURS SING FROM FAMILIAR SONG SHEET AS THEY DROP A COUPLE OF CLOSE WEEKEND CONTESTS
EDMONTON & LAC LA BICHE – Play hard. Keep it close. Fight to the end. Take a costly penalty, make a mistake or get a bad break. Lose game. Rinse and repeat. It sounds like a broken record but it's a song that's become all too familiar to the Portage College Voyageurs this season.
Victories have been hard to come by in 2024-25 for the Lac La Biche-based squad, like chasing the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. This past weekend was no difference as Kevin McClelland's troops battled hard against the NAIT Ooks in a pair of close contests but still came out on the wrong end of 5-4 and 6-3 scores.
"Two close games and you know, again, just mistakes that cost us all the time," said the head coach after the Saturday night contest at the Bold Center. "It's tough because the guys are playing hard."
On Friday night in Edmonton, the Voyageurs were step for step with their city rivals all the way and held the lead after the first period. Even after falling behind 5-3, they made a game of it but couldn't find the equalizer after Xavier Halterman brought the visitors to within a goal with less than minute to play. Twenty-four hours later, Portage again fought back from a deficit, tying the game at three midway through the third period. With both teams playing well, generating chances and getting good goaltending, it looked like the contest might be headed for overtime. Then, that broken record started playing its ugly tune again. Ethan Leyer notched his 11th of the season at the 13:56 mark and NAIT added two empty netters to seal the deal.
"You know, we tie it up 3-3 and then they get to 4-3 and then they get the open netter," said a subdued McClelland post-game. "It's just difficult to take for sure."
As they prepare for back-to-back weekends on the road against SAIT and Briercrest – the top two teams in the league – the Voyageurs know they're in for a tough set of hockey games as they try to put a stop to a 14-game losing streak. Despite the difficult stretch, their head coach, a four-time Stanley Cup Champion with loads of playing, coaching and life experience, still believes in his players and knows they can persevere through the challenges ahead.
"They should be ok," he said. "It's just hockey, you know what I mean. They've been playing a long time. They should know that it's a rollercoaster ride, but it gets a little tough for sure."
Jan. 24 Player of the Game
- Portage: # 21 Tye Evans
- NAIT: # 9 Odin George
Jan. 25 Players of the Game
- NAIT: #42 Drae Gardiner
- Portage: #13 Xavier Halterman
