Mike Gemmill's big third period led the Portage Terriers to a tremendous comeback win.

Led by the play of veteran forward Mike Gemmill, the Portage Terriers earned a big come-from-behind win in game two of the Addison Division semi-finals last night.

The Terriers jumped out the 1-0 lead late in the first period when Tyler Larson put his second of the playoffs past Adam Harris.

The Steelers roared back in the second, getting three goals on just eight shots. Hudson Friesen, Alex Kampen and former Terrier Dustin Bruyere all lit the lamp for Selkirk, giving the 698 fans in attendance plenty to cheer about.

The Dogs came out focused to start the third period and took advantage of some early penalties to the Steelers. Mike Gemmill and Cody Kostecki both scored on the powerplay in the first 5:12 of the frame, tying things at 3-3 and stunning the Selkirk faithful. It stayed tied up until the 16:42 mark when Mike Gemmill intercepted a pass, skated into the zone and sniped his second of the night past Harris, putting Portage up 4-3. Shaq Merasty sealed the deal with an empty-netter in the final minute, giving the Terriers a 5-3 victory.


Cody Kostecki notched his first of the playoffs during last night's win.

Adam Iwan picked up the victory in net, making 18 saves on 21 shots.


Adam Iwan picked up his second win of the playoffs in net.

Steinbach's Brendan Harms finished with an assist on the night and says during the second intermission, the team regained their focus.

"We all knew what we needed to do in that third period," says the second-year Terrier. "We needed to come out there battling and I think we did that and came out with the W."

Tyler Larson picked up his second goal of the postseason in the victory. The Minnesota product says the comeback win is a big momentum boost for the team.

"That was a huge win for us," says Larson. "To come out in the third period and get those three goals, just a huge win for us and for our club."


Captain Andrew Wiebe made his playoff debut last night, returning from a lengthy injury.

Mike Gemmill's two-goal night earned him first star honours after the game. The veteran's efforts weren't lost on his teammates. Linemate Brendan Harms says he was impressed with Gemmill's drive in the third.

"That was great," says Harms. "Mike's got a lot of speed and he busted wide. When you give Mike space like that, he'll bury it and he did so it was awesome."

The Terriers and Steelers drop the puck on game three in the series Tuesday night back in Portage at the PCU Centre.

Here's video from last night's game.