It has been rumoured since the abrupt end to the 2020 season but now it is finally official, the 2023 Centennial Cup Tournament will be going down at Stride Place.

The tournament crowning the best Junior A hockey team in Canada was set to take place in Portage la Prairie in 2020 until COVID-19 shut down the hockey season. While it was known that Portage was the leading candidate for the 2023 tournament, the Manitoba Junior Hockey League made the announcement official yesterday.

With this being the case, the Portage Terriers will have a guaranteed berth in the Centennial Cup as the host team. After the Terriers missed the playoffs for the first time in nearly 40 years this season, look for the squad to now focus on nothing but winning, as head coach and general manager Blake Spiller will be looking to, not just compete, but win the Centennial Cup.

The last time the Centennial Cup tournament took place in Portage was in 2015 and the Terriers were the eventual winners on their home ice. Brad Bowles won the Roland Mercier Trophy as the tournament MVP for Portage while leading the event in scoring.

Dates have yet to be announced for the 2023 Centennial Cup, but it will happen in May.

The 2022 Centennial Cup is currently taking place in Estevan, Saskatchewan. The championship game takes place tonight between the Pickering Panthers and Brooks Bandits.