The Elkhorn duo of Josh Martin and Layne Toder helped propel the Portage Terriers to a third straight Manitoba Junior Hockey League championship.
“The feeling was unreal,” Toder wrote in a text interview when asked what it was like when time ran out in the sixth and deciding game of the championship series against OCN. “Words can't describe the feeling when 25 guys and everyone behind the scenes come together and do something that special.”
While it was the third consecutive Turnbull Cup for the Terriers – and seventh since 2006 – it was the first for Toder, a rookie who turned 17 in January, and Martin, a 20-year-old who joined the team via an early 2017 trade. Portage won the last two MJHL titles with players like Elkhorn products Brad Bowles, Shawn Bowles, and Brett Orr, and Virden’s Landon Peel (2015) in the lineup. This year they accomplished it with a different group. After going 37-19-4 in the regular season and earning the fifth seed, the Terriers were not the favourites headed into the postseason.
However, Portage knocked off fourth-seeded Selkirk, 4-2, and then upset the top-seeded Steinbach Pistons, 4-2. Portage lost the first two games of the championship series against the third-seeded OCN Blizzard on the road. However, the team rebounded to win the next four straight including game four in overtime.
“Being successful in the playoffs came down to us believing that we could win along with the high end skill our team has,” Martin wrote in a social media interview.
The Elkhorn pair certainly played key roles for the Terriers. Martin, the son of Kevin and Laurie, was named the MJHL Playoff MVP. The forward had 15 points, five goals, and 33 penalty minutes in 33 playoff games. After playing his first two and a half seasons with Swan Valley, the gritty forward was acquired by the Terriers at this year’s trade deadline and flourished with the club.
Toder, a defenceman, had a goal and nine points in the MJHL playoffs. The son of Curtis and Jolene Toder had a very strong rookie season with Portage as he accumulated 11 goals and 28 points in 44 games. This season was the first time that Martin and Toder have been teammates. The two are actually roommates as well.
“It's pretty special to share this with him. … He's a great player and was a big part of us winning,” Martin said.
The Terriers now advance to the Western Canada Cup, April 29-May 7, in Penticton, B.C. Two berths into the Royal Bank Cup, Canada’s national Junior A championship, are up for grabs there. The field will include the champions from Saskatchewan – Battlefords North Stars, Alberta – Brooks Bandits, and B.C. The WCC host Penticton Vees and Chilliwack Chiefs were slated to play a game seven for the B.C. title after the Empire-Advance deadline. Both teams will play in the WCC.
“At Westerns I'm looking forward to making more memories with the 25 brothers on my team and playing against the best teams in Western Canada,” Toder wrote.
