terriers set roster

Terriers set roster for Road to RBC Cup

Portage makes final tweaks at national trade deadline

Jason La Rose
|
January 20, 2015
|

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

That was the attitude of the Portage Terriers as the CJHL national trade deadline passed on Jan. 10; the 2015 RBC Cup hosts made a couple of minor moves to officially set their roster for Canada’s National Junior A Championship.

The Terriers acquired Grant Valiquette from the MJHL’s OCN Blizzard, picked up Andrew Zerban from the AJHL’s Brooks Bandits, and welcomed back a familiar face when they added goaltender Zac Robidoux, who was released by the WHL’s Lethbridge Hurricanes.

“It was a long process to get to Jan. 10 this year. We knew quite a while ago we were going to be hosting the RBC, so we started making moves over a year ago,” Terriers head coach and GM Blake Spiller told the Portage Daily Graphic. “We're pretty excited with the club we've got going forward. But at the same time there are a lot of good clubs in our league.”

Spiller has good reason to be excited about his team.

The Terriers are the runaway leaders in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League, sitting at 42-2-2 through play on Jan. 18, 26 points ahead of the second-place Steinbach Pistons.

Portage has scored 223 goals in 46 games, 57 more than any other team, has allowed just 92, 33 fewer than the next best mark, and has a +131 goal differential that is better than any other Junior A team in Canada.

Not surprisingly, the Terriers have sat atop the Canadian Junior Hockey League top 20 rankings for seven consecutive weeks, and for 10 of the 12 rankings so far this season.

Portage continues to spread around the offence, with six players in the top 20 of MJHL scoring, including co-league leaders Zack Waldvogel (23-37—60) and Brad Bowles (20-40—60).

In goal, Justin Laforest is carrying the load, posting a 24-1 record, 2.19 goals-against average and .910 save percentage; the netminder, who was at last year’s RBC Cup with the Carleton Place Canadians, leads the MJHL in wins and GAA.

As far as the new faces go, Valiquette was the marquee name; the Dryden, Ont., native was captain with OCN and led the Blizzard in scoring (12-25—37 in 36 games) before the trade.

“It's bittersweet because I was in OCN for three years. But it was time to make a switch.” Valiquette told the Daily Graphic. “It was definitely exciting to come here and play with some super-skilled guys and especially with (the RBC Cup) this year.”

Zerban has played sparingly in both the AJHL and U.S. Hockey League this season, going without a point in four games with the Bandits, and five games with the USHL’s Fargo Force.

Robidoux rejoins the Terriers after spending the 2013-14 season in Portage, when he posted a 17-9 record, 2.19 GAA and .924 save percentage while sharing time with Talor Joseph.

Joseph was the odd man out with the return of Robidoux; he was picked up by the BCHL’s Nanaimo Clippers after being released by the Terriers.

All three new additions have made immediate impacts; Valiquette had a goal in an assist in a 10-6 win over Winnipeg in his debut on Jan. 11, while he and Zerban added an assist each and Robidoux got the ‘W’ in a 6-2 victory over Waywayseecappo on Jan. 18.

Portage is trying to become the fourth RBC Cup host team to win its league in the last six years, joining Dauphin (2010), Humboldt (2012) and Summerside (2013).

No host team has won the RBC Cup since the Weyburn Red Wings in 2005.

For more information:

Esther Madziya
Manager, Communications
Hockey Canada

(403) 284-6484 

[email protected] 

Spencer Sharkey
Manager, Communications
Hockey Canada

(403) 777-4567

[email protected]

Jeremy Knight
Manager, Corporate Communications
Hockey Canada

(647) 251-9738

[email protected]

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