LAC LA BICHE - The Portage College Voyageurs men’s hockey team started off the new year by dropping a pair of games to the Concordia University of Edmonton (CUE) Thunder.
The Voyageurs were defeated 4-3 in a close match against their visiting Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) rivals at the Bold Center on Jan. 10. The team travelled to Edmonton the following day for a rematch that resulted in a 6-0 victory for the Thunder.
Halfway through the first period of Friday’s game in Lac La Biche, CUE’s Dylan Handel, unassisted, scored the first goal of the year. Roughly seven minutes later, Portage College’s Xavier Halterman, with help from Mason Beck and Mikal Chalifoux, evened the scoreboard, tying the contest 1-1 going into the second period.
It wasn’t until the third period that the Voyageurs were able to get back onto the scoreboard. By that time, the Thunder had already accumulated four points. While Portage College’s Jayden Watson and Chalifoux each secured one goal for the team, it enough wasn’t to solidify a win.
Even though the rematch that took place on Jan. 11 in Edmonton was a scoreless affair for the Voyageurs, goaltender Ethan Shebansky managed 38 saves on 44 shots over three periods.
The Voyageurs are in last place in the seven-team ACAC North Division, while the Thunder are in sixth place.
After taking a week off, the Voyageurs will be back on the ice on Jan, 24 in Edmonton for a contest against the NAIT Ooks. The team returns home on Jan. 25 to meet the Ooks on home ice. That game is set to take place at the Bold Center at 7 p.m.
