Road to the 2023 Centennial Cup: Portage Terriers

The two-time defending nationwide Junior A champions are again. 

After downing Okotoks in six video games, sweeping Blackfalds and ending off Spruce Grove in 5 to assert their seventh Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) title, the Brooks Bandits are actually centered on capturing a third-straight Centennial Cup — one thing that has by no means been achieved within the 50-year historical past of the event.

“We’re coming into this with high expectations, but we’re also very cognizant of the fact that every night we’re playing a championship-calibre team,” says Bandits head coach Ryan Papaioannou.

As has been the case in recent times, Brooks dominated the competitors, ending the season with a report of 53-5-1-1, one win greater than that they had final yr. Those 53 wins, by the best way, tie the AJHL report held by the 2012-13 Bandits for second-most in a single season.

Led by Aiden Fink’s league-leading 97 factors, the Bandits possess an explosive offence that put up 319 objectives over 60 video games — 58 greater than the subsequent closest staff. Fink had 41 objectives, the second-most anybody within the AJHL. On high of that, the Bandits had 5 others who scored 20 or extra objectives.

“He’s been our leading scorer for an exhibition all the way through the playoffs. I think one of the differences from last year to now is his maturity has come quite far. He’s still a young player at 18, but he was dominant in our regular season,” Papaioannou says of Fink.

Brooks’ defence was equally spectacular, permitting simply 113 objectives. The foremost cause? Netminder Ethan Barwick. The 20-year-old veteran gave up simply 94 objectives within the common season and posted a 45-4-1 report with a .929 save-percentage and a 1.88 goals-against common.

“Ethan was probably our MVP most nights,” says Papaioannou. “We might rely on him a little bit too much, but he’s got lots of experience. He’s been with us for four seasons and this will be his third national championship that he’s played in.”

Heading into the Centennial Cup, the Bandits come loaded with former nationwide champs. The roster contains 9 gamers who had been a part of the 2022 championship staff – Barwick, Fink, Heath Armstrong, Dario Beljo, Nathan Free, Dominick Campione, Hughie Hooker, Brendan Poshak and Wes Turner.

They even have new blood hungry to win on the large stage with gamers like Ukrainian forwards Mikhail Simchuk and Danylo Korzhyletskyi, and defencemen Aiden Celebrini —the older brother of U18 Worlds standout Macklin Celebrini — and Sam Court, who led all AJHL d-men in factors in the course of the common season with 72.

“Our guys are excited. I think there’s a little bit of anticipation for the new guys on what it’s all about,” says Papaioannou. “One advantage is that we have guys who’ve been through it before.”

“In our league championship series, there were a couple of times where I said to our guys, ‘I don’t think they have anybody on the other side that has won. They’ve been here but they’ve never won,’ and we need to be able to use that to our advantage.”

HOW THEY GOT TO PORTAGE

Alberta Junior Hockey League
Quarterfinal: defeated Okotoks 4-2 (3-2, 2-3, 5-2, 2-3, 4-2, 3-1)
Semifinal: defeated Blackfalds 4-0 (5-0, 4-2, 5-3, 4-2)
AJHL championship: defeated Spruce Grove 4-1 (5-2, 3-6, 2-1, 2-1 OT, 3-2 OT)

REGULAR SEASON

Record (W-L-OTL-SOL): 53-5-1-1 (1st in AJHL)
Goals for: 319 (1st in AJHL)
Goals towards: 113 (1st in AJHL)
Power play: 105 for 305 (34.4% – 1st in AJHL)
Penalty killing: 225 of 253 (88.9% – seventh in AJHL)
Longest profitable streak: 18 (Oct. 22-Dec. 3)
Top 3 scorers:
• Aiden Fink – 41G 56A 97P (1st in AJHL)
• Dario Beljo – 34G 55A 89P (4th in AJHL)
• Sam Court – 13G 59A 72P (tenth in AJHL)

PLAYOFFS

Record: 12-3
Goals for: 52
Goals towards: 34
Power play: 15 for 53 (28.3%)
Penalty killing: 49 of 54 (90.7%)
Top 3 scorers:
• Caelan Fitzpatrick – 11G 5A 16P
• Brendan Poshak – 3G 11A 14P
• Aiden Fink – 8G 5A 13P

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY

2013 – Brooks Bandits | nationwide champions | 5-1 | 27GF 14GA
2016 – Brooks Bandits | 4th place | 3-2 | 17GF 15GA
2017 – Brooks Bandits | 2nd place | 4-2 | 24GF 12GA
2019 – Brooks Bandits | nationwide champions | 6-0 | 25GF 14GA
2022 – Brooks Bandits | nationwide champions | 6-0 | 44GF 10GA

COMMITMENTS

Heath Armstrong – Long Island University (2023-24)
Ethan Barwick – Lindenwood University (2023-24)
Dario Beljo – American International College (2023-24)
Ethan Beyer – Arizona State University (2023-24)
Tyler Blocha – Northern Michigan University (2023-24)
Aaron Brown – Quinnipiac University (2023-24)
Dominick Campione – Stonehill College (2023-24)
Aiden Celebrini – Boston University (2023-24)
Elliot Dutil – Lindenwood University (2023-24)
Aiden Fink – Penn State University (2023-24)
Caelan Fitzpatrick – Niagara University (2023-24)
Nathan Free – Penn State University (2023-24)
Jordan Hughesman – Merrimack College (2023-24)
Hudson Malinoski – Providence College (2023-24)
Brendan Poshak – Northern Michigan University (2023-24)
Wes Turner – Holy Cross University (2023-24)
Hunter Wallace – Merrimack College (2023-24)

CJHL TOP 20 RANKINGS

Sept. 26 – Not ranked
Oct. 9 – eleventh
Oct. 16 – ninth
Oct. 24 – eighth
Oct. 31 – 4th
Nov. 7 – 2nd
Nov. 14 – 2nd
Nov. 21 – 2nd
Nov. 28 – 2nd
Dec. 5 – 2nd
Dec. 12 – third
Dec. 19 – third
Jan. 9 – third
Jan. 16 – third
Jan. 23 – third
Jan. 30 – 4th
Feb. 6 – third
Feb. 13 – 2nd
Feb. 20 – 1st
Feb. 27 – 1st
March 6 – 1st