It seems the third time’s the charm for the Chicago Portagers, who have finally climbed the summit after two top 3 placements the years prior.
Home advantage was a key piece in their run. Chicago got the privilege of hosting this year’s Harvest Classic, as this BLL rotates the playoff venue between conferences each season.
Chicago has had two years of heartbreak before the celebration this year. In their inaugural 2022 season, It seemed things were already clicking as the Portagers posted a 7-1 conference record and won the East. In the Harvest Classic at Missouri, they were knocked out of championship contention by the hosting Mastodons but ended up with 3rd place thanks to a hard-fought game on Sunday with the Denver Beefing Bears, where the Portagers won 8-7.
2023 looked even more promising. With Chicago returning much of the original piece, the lights were bright in Chi-town. Milwaukee tested Chicago’s conference chances by having the Great Lakes Conference come down to the final game, where Chicago proved dominant with a 17-10 victory. Denver’s Harvest Classic for the Portagers was smooth sailing until they hit a roadblock; the Roughnecks themselves. After a 2-0 start, Chicago lost to Denver 12-6 on Saturday night and then on Championship Sunday afternoon 17-10.
Chicago was seeking revenge with a new season ahead of them in 2024. New additions of Chase Bruno from RIT, Brian Larsen from the Milwaukee Muskies, and many more were a boost to the already deep team the Portagers were rolling with. That didn’t even count a returning core of captain Bailey Smith, Bruce Fougere, and others.
Chicago’s Eastern Conference had a new foe in the Kansas City Smoke, but nobody would stand in their way for conference play this year. Chicago steamrolled into playoff action with a 7-0 conference record.
It seemed the Portagers were a clear favorite for the cup this year until they saw the first opponent on their schedule; Colorado. Chicago would fall in their first playoff game by a hair to a short-numbered Roughnecks squad, who came away with this one 8-7.
Chicago would bounce back with landslide wins over Salt Lake and Wasatch from the West, but had to face Colorado late Saturday night for a chance at the championship.
Chicago came out the gate differently in this one. At one point, it was 8-4 Chicago in the 3rd quarter. Colorado would empty the tank and tighten the game at 8-7, but it was no use in the end.
Chicago was heading to their second championship appearance, seeking to see the other result this time around.
Chicigo matched up with the Rocky Mountain Raptors, another team from Denver Colorado. Unlike the Roughnecks, this Raptors bench ran deep. They were a real threat to the Portagers, who they had never met in their short franchise history.
Those numbers on Championship Sunday proved to be a strength for the Raptors, who wouldn’t let off the gas. The 1-2 punch of Demetre Crews and Teagan Simons with company was too much for Chicago.
With 2:18 left in the 3rd quarter, the Raptors found goal #10. Rocky Mountain led 10-5, and the sound inside Chicago’s Salt Creek Sports Center was vacant.
Former college teammates Tommy Tillett and Colin Domek connected on Chicago’s first goal out of the drought, and the tide of the game started to turn.
With 6:47 left in the Championship, Rocky Mountain was trying to extinguish the fire from Chicago. They scored their 12th, and little did they know it would be their last goal of the 2024 season.
11 seconds later, Austin Curtis answered in style. The Portagers only trailed by one with plenty of time to spare.
Less than a minute later, Bailey Smith found former Muskie Connor Peterson for the tying goal. They could not be stopped.
Not much later, Brandon Singleton, a veteran of the Portagers who saw minimal offensive time this year, scooped up a ground ball and would not let the moment perish.
A fast break gave the Portagers their first lead of the entire game at the largest moment.
The Portagers needed 4:16 of stone defense. Behind vet netminder Brian Larsen, a 2020 Harvest Classic Champion with Milwaukee, the task was completed.
The home crowd erupted and so did all the equipment of Chicago players. The Portagers felt the sweet side of Championship Sunday instead of the sour time this year around.
Captain Bailey Smith was awarded BLL MVP for his determination throughout the entire cinematic playoff run. The three-year captain in Smith had quite the year in general.
For Rocky Mountain, it was no season to hang their heads about. The first season for the Raptors was an immense success.
The 5th annual Harvest Classic was one to remember in BLL history. The fans and players gave us a treat throughout every matchup in the Windy City.
-Luke Jorden
