Seeing double: Porter twins leading young Midgets hockey team
Twin brothers playing together on the same hockey team isn’t common, though it seems to works out well for Henrik and Daniel Sedin of the Vancouver Canucks.By: Royal McGregor, The Dickinson Press
- Michael Porter
- Matt Porter
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Twin brothers playing together on the same hockey team isn’t common, though it seems to works out well for Henrik and Daniel Sedin of the Vancouver Canucks.
The Dickinson High boys hockey team has its own twin connection in seniors Michael and Matt Porter.
The Porters have helped show the Midgets what it takes to excel, though it might not always be in the form of a win.
“They’re both good leaders in the locker room and on the ice sheet,” Dickinson High head coach Tom Folske said. “They’re probably a couple of the hardest-working kids I’ve had come through the program.”
The Porters, who are both captains, have been on the same hockey team for nine years, including the last four years at the varsity level.
Dickinson senior forward Dan Sullivan said they bring a certain feeling to the Midgets, who are 3-14 and host Bismarck High at 7:30 p.m. today.
“They just bring a certain vibe to the team,” Sullivan said.
Playing with someone for that amount of time can make the game of hockey much easier.
“It’s kind of nice, because we know how each would do things,” said Michael Porter, a forward who is second on the team in points with four goals and nine assists. “So it helps get things going a little faster, because it’s two players, but one mind.”
Being brothers also gives them the luxury of talking about each practice or game in great detail.
“We just think the same,” said Matt Porter, a goaltender who has 242 saves in eight games this season. “After a game or practice, we can go home and talk about how to get stuff done.”
Michael and Matt share the same viewpoints, but one of the Porters’ contribution that sticks out in Folske’s mind is their influence on the younger players.
“When a couple of your best players and (your) hardest workers, the young kids don’t have a choice,” Folske said. “They have to skate hard to keep up with them or they are going to be left behind.”
Junior Brendin Steiner is an assistant captain this season and is more than likely in line to become the captain of the top line next season. One of Steiner’s responsibilities this season is to watch and observe.
“It’s just kind of watch and learn,” Steiner said. “See how Mike leads and see what he does.”
The Porters said multiple players have stepped up and played important roles for the team this season. One player almost everyone on the team could agree has contributed greatly is sophomore defenseman Tim Knutson.
“He has stepped up a lot this year,” Michael Porter said. “With injuries on our team, he’s had to play a lot in his first year.”
Though numbers have been lacking on the Dickinson varsity hockey team the last couple of seasons, injuries have also taken a toll this year.
To overcome those injuries, Michael Porter and other forward are taking double shifts until everyone is back and healthy.
“You definitely have to be more focused,” Michael Porter said. “You just have to know who is out on the ice with you. Being out on the ice with Kass (Dvorak) and Brendin is a lot different than being out on the ice with Jayden (Mink) and Alex (Turcotte).”
Both players have relished their time being leaders for the team and want to leave a legacy behind for future players to come. One piece of knowledge that Michael Porter gave was simple, but true.
“You just have to go hard,” he said. “No matter if you have 10 guys or 20 guys, if you playing Bismarck or Hazen, going hard always makes you look better, always makes you play better and it makes things go easier.”
Tags: high school hockey, dickinson midgets, sports, hockey, midgets
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