VOYAGEURS PUNCH TICKET TO SECOND ROUND OF PLAYOFFS FOR FIRST TIME IN TEAM HISTORY
LAC LA BICHE – First, they made it to the dance. Then, they spun their partners right out of the rink.
The Portage College Voyageurs continued their trail-blazing ways this past weekend, besting the visiting Briercrest Clippers two games to one to take their best of three ACAC playoff series, marking the first time in school history that the men's hockey team has ever made the second round of the post-season.
"It's awesome," said Head Coach Kevin McClelland after the third game of the series on Sunday afternoon. "We've gotta give credit to the guys. They did it!"
The savvy head coach, always quick to praise his players, could've doubted that such a stellar result was possible given the Voyageurs 12-year playoff drought and enduring tough campaigns like the 2019-20 season when they went 0-28. But he didn't.
"It's been five years coming," said Captain Xavier Halterman, one of the few veterans on the team. "Macker's built a great program for the past five years and I'm just happy to help him lead a team to the second round. It's been the goal every year. We come in trying to make it as far as we can and its nice to actually see it come to fruition."
Fans who packed the Bold Center on Friday afternoon for the first game of the series could've been forgiven if they didn't think the Voyageurs would be able to take the series. After a fairly strong first period, the home squad gave up five goals in the second period, on the way to a 9-1 pasting at the hands of the Clippers. The visitors chased Portage's starting goalie, Tresor Wotton, midway through the second and the rout was on. Jackson Allan led the way with two goals and four assists and the experienced Clippers, who've made the playoffs the past three seasons, seemed to have all the momentum.
Of course, in the playoffs, whether you lose 9-1 or 3-2 in overtime, a loss is a loss and you regroup and move on. The resilient Voyageurs did just that. On Saturday evening, they came out with renewed vigour and determination, playing strong defence and getting just enough offence to grab a 2-1 win and tie the series. Tye Evans and Jonah Smith scored for the Voyageurs and Wotton rebounded nicely from the previous game, making 29 saves in a stellar performance between the pipes. Halterman credited his teammates, as they have all year, for always believing and for always playing to the final buzzer.
"Every guy knows that wasn't our best game," he said of the Friday shellacking. "That isn't our game. We know that we can beat Briercrest and we showed up Saturday with our backs against the wall and we played amazing. That's what matters."
Assistant Coach Pierre Sparklingeyes noted the Friday game was a good reality check for the playoff-novice Voyageurs.
"It was a lot our guys' first time (in the playoffs), it's a young team," he said. "So they got a taste of it and they realized that they needed to step up. So coming into Game 2, we had to rise to the occasion, keep it simple and do our jobs throughout the lineup. And we played a good, hard game and were able to tie the series up."
That left the winner-take-all match on Sunday afternoon. With another large and enthusiastic crowd cheering them on, the Voyageurs trailed 3-1 a little more than seven minutes to the second, giving up a demoralizing shorthanded goal to fall behind by two. In past years, this would've been a death knell for the home squad, a 3-1 deficit turning into a 6-1 pasting. Not this year. As always, McClelland's troops marshalled up their courage and showed the intestinal fortitude they have had all year, rattling off six unanswered goals to skate away with a 7-3 win and the series. Aidan Taylor and Halterman each scored twice, with Carson Devine, Jack Jarvis and Smith each potting one apiece.
"It's a very resilient group and we couldn't be prouder of them," said Sparklingeyes after the clinching win on Sunday afternoon. "They worked hard and they got rewarded with the series win today."
Their reward for such an impressive performance? A date with juggernaut, three-time defending champion Red Deer Polytechnic next weekend. The first-place Kings, who had a bye in the first round, will have their hands full with the plucky Voyageurs, though. While Portage didn't beat their royal cousins in 25-26, they did play them tough and almost won a couple of contests.
"In their barn, you know the second game we managed to claw ourselves back up to a 7-6 game," said Sparklingeyes. "And in here a few weeks ago, we played them to a 2-1 game so we just gotta stay with it, stay focused on our job and our task at hand and go in there ready to go."
Halterman believes if he and his teammates bring their 'A' game from the drop of the puck, they stand a pretty good chance of upsetting the champs.
"We just know that right from the beginning we gotta we ready," he said. "We've gotta have our backs against the wall and play with the same urgency that we played the last two games. We can't give them any free game or any free goals. If we work as 20 guys, (we're) gonna come out with a victory."
Players of the Game
February 27
Briercrest: #7 Jackson Allan
Portage: #28 Jett McCullum
February 28
Briercrest: #91 Emmanuel Nkombou
Portage: #31 Tresor Wotton
March 1
Briercrest: #7 Jackson Allan
Portage: #19 Aidan Taylor
