The Portage Royals return to the pitch this weekend when they head into Winnipeg to take on the top team in their division, Azzurri. Portage is currently sitting near the bottom of the standings but can move up quickly as teams in close to them are in a logjam for the middle of the standings with very few points separating fourth from eighth. Coach Dave Oshust says Azurri is a strong ball-possession team that they will need to disrupt in order to win.

"We'll take away the passing lanes and put more pressure on their defense," says Oshust. "We only have 19 goals on the year while they have 43. We've got guys who can score, we just need to put more pressure on the defense to get the opportunities we need to score."

Oshust likes his team's odds if they manage to field a full line-up, a source of difficulty for the team throughout the season.

"It's going be a tough one, they're 9-1," says Oshust. "We need to focus on our defense, we have speed up front but we have to get them open. It's slowly coming but the players are starting to find the holes in the defense. If we can do that and keep it close, we'll let them know that they're in a game and then who knows what can happen?"

The game will take place in Winnipeg on Saturday with a 12:00 p.m. start time.