LAC LA BICHE - It was a tough weekend for the Portage College Voyageurs men’s hockey team, who dropped a pair of games to the NAIT OOKs.
The first meeting with NAIT, which took place in Edmonton on Jan. 24, resulted in a 5-4 loss for Portage College. The OOKs travelled to Lac La Biche the following day, coming away with a 6-3 victory.
During the first period of Friday’s close contest, Voyageurs Mikal Chalifoux and Jayden Watson scored one goal each while NAIT’s Josh Medernach managed one goal.
The Voyageurs went into second period with a 2-1 lead that was quickly broken by the OOKs getting the puck past Portage College goaltender Ethan Shebansky two more times. Halfway through the second period, the Voyageurs’ Tye Evans shot the puck past NAIT goalie Ryley Osland, tying the game 3-3.
While Voyageurs forward Xavier Halterman managed to give his team a brief 4-3 lead in the opening minutes of the first period, the OOKs wasted no time widening the gap between the two teams, and added their fourth and fifth goals soon after.
Saturday’s rematch on home ice at the Bold Centre got underway with NAIT’s Ty Whitford, assisted by Tyler Blocha and Cale Lyons shooting the puck into the net of Portage goaltender Luke Hall.
Although Halterman, with assistance from Mason Beck and Avery McNabb, countered with a goal that levelled the scoreboard 1-1, the OOKs’ Blake Astorino gave his team a second goal to finish the first period with a 2-1 lead.
NAIT’s Blocha managed to get his team onto the scoreboard for a third time at 14:18 in the second period. Voyageurs defenseman Payton McDonald-Corea, who was assisted by Mason Beck and Mikal Chalifoux, scored his first goal of the night, getting the puck past the opposing team’s goalie, McCoy Bidewell, a few minutes later.
The OOKs dominated the scoreboard in the third period, scoring three more goals, while Portage’s Ezra Baer managed to get his team’s third and final goal of the contest.
The 2024-25 season hasn’t been an easy one for the Portage College Voyageurs. The Voyageurs currently hold last spot in their seven-team Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) North Division, having lost 14 games since November.
The Voyageurs are on the road this weekend for a double header against the SAIT Trojans. These games will be held at Calgary’s Winsport Arena on Jan. 31 and Feb. 1.
