For the first time in five trips to the National Junior A Championship tournament, the Portage Terriers lost their first game. They opened the tournament with wins in 2005, 2011, 2012 and 2015 but couldn't keep the streak alive in Saturday's opener. 

The Ottawa Jr Senators, the East representative in this year's tourney, got on the board quickly in the first period. Elie Boulerice forced a turnover and fed team captain Darcy Walsh who promptly slipped one underneath Nathan Moore. The Terriers would responded with some big hits as the period wore on, including a thundering jolt from Jay Buchholz on Ottawa forward Danny Pion, but the elusive first goal wasn't to be found and the first period ended with the Dogs down 1-0.

In the second, the Terriers seemed to find their footing, outshooting the Jr Sens 11-6. They had three powerplay opportunities in the second as well, but failed to find a way to beat Ottawa netminder Francis Boisvert. 

The third got off to another rough start when Elie Boulerice tipped a Bailey Brant point shot past Moore, extending the Ottawa lead to 2-0. The Terriers saw some undisciplined play follow the goal and they were forced to kill off three penalties in the third. They weathered the storm but still couldn't find a way to beat Boisvert. With just over five minutes remaining, Walsh dropped a beautiful pass to Kyle Jackson who wired a wrist shot to the top of the net, making it 3-0 and sealing the deal. Boisvert did his job the rest of the way, stopping all 20 shots he faced for the shutout. 

After the game, Ty Barnstable offered these comments.

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Next up for the Terriers is a date with the host team, the AJHL Champion Brooks Bandits. The Bandits made history this year, going 57-3 during the regular season before cruising to an AJHL title. They were stunned in the Doyle Cup series though, losing in six to the BCHL's Prince George Spruce Kings. Game time is set for 8:00 pm from the Centennial Regional Arena in Brooks. You can catch all the action on CFRY, starting with the Hi-Tec Industries Pre-Game Show at 7:50 pm.