The Portage Terriers rookie camp came to a close on Sunday as the 100-man roster was trimmed to about 35 players with the Terriers first exhibition contest on Tuesday against the Neepawa Natives.

Head coach Blake Spiller said that the team was happy with what they saw out of the some of the older rookies as approximately 20 players will have a chance to suit up for the Natives game and get their feet wet in MJHL action. 

"We've lost a number of guys this year.  This year we had guys moving onto to different level and guys who graduate to A.  It was a good opportunity to see some guys on the list and see how guys competing to get on the list so it's good to see guys competing in that environment," said Blake Spiller. 

Guys from other organizations, midget teams and other players from across Manitoba participated in the camp at the PCU Centre.  Spiller added that this was one of those camps where they didn't know what to expect from the players but were pleasantly surprised by the output from the rookies. 

"We're happy with what we saw from them and tomorrow night's game (Tuesday) will be a rookie game against Neepawa and we're excited to get going," he said. 

With a few of the starting players still at various camps and training sessions, the Natives game will give the Terriers a good chance to further evaluate some of the talent as they continue to figure out next year's roster.  

"We're always looking to improve in certain areas,  but we're happy with the guys we have right now.  We want to be around that 25-mark (by mid-week).  The game tomorrow is for some guys showing that they'll stick here and other guys are too young, they're just juniors but it's a good experience for them," said Spiller. 

See more in Tues. Sept. 4 issue of the Portage Daily Graphic.