Portage Lake defenseman Ross Rouleau looks on during a stop in play during a game against Eagle River Friday, Feb. 20, at Dee Stadium in Houghton. (David Archambeau/For the Gazette)

HOUGHTON — The Great Lakes Hockey League’s top team, the Portage Lakes Pioneers, will be hosting the league tournament this weekend at Dee Stadium and the HoCo Arena. The Pioneers will be looking to win their second straight tournament title in the process.

“This is our first time since the 2014-15 season, so it’s been quite some time,” said Pioneers forward Wyatt Geshel. “We won it that year, (and) we won it last year. So, we’re looking to build off both of that and do it again.”

The tournament rotates through the league from year to year, so travel becomes a challenge most years. Having the tournament at home is very beneficial when it comes to having a competitive roster for the tournament.

“That plays a huge part,” Geshel said. “I mean, we travel well. We’ve traveled well for the last few years. But, being able to sleep in your own bed at night, and not have to transit to a hotel and back, that’s huge.”

The Pioneers come into the tournament as the top seed with a record of 19-1, good for 38 points. The Calumet Wolverines are also in the tournament as the eight seed after finishing the season with a record of 5-14-1, good for 11 points.

“This is our third year in a row winning the league title, so that’s something to be proud of and build off,” said Geshel. “Anything can happen in the playoffs, but I think we’re well prepared for anybody that comes at us.”

The Pioneers feature a number of familiar names in the Copper Country, from forwards Brett Hauswirth, Spencer Donnelly, and Dylan Farmer, to a new, younger core led by Landon Stevens, Connor Raffaelli, and Bryce Hanner.

“We have such a deep lineup, almost too deep, in one way or another,” Geshel said. “Lots of guys. We have a lot of guys that may or may not have been able to make a lot of the games, just because of family and work and whatnot. But, everybody got their minimum five games league requirement.

“We have a lot of younger guys. Gaborik Carlson, Landon Stevens, Connor Raffaelli, Bryce Hanner. They’ve been the youth core that we’ve been bringing along, and hopefully they stick around for the considerable future.”

Stevens leads the Pioneers with 17 goals and 29 points in 17 games. Raffaelli is tied for second with 12 goals and 28 points. Hanner is also tied as he has 11 goals and 28 points. Carlson has 15 goals and 26 points.

Among the veterans, Hauswirth continues to provide valuable leadership, both on and off the ice. He is tied for second on the team in points with 14 goals and 28 points.

“Brett’s been a great guy,” said Geshel. “He’s been on the team probably for a few more years longer than I have, which probably makes it 12 to 13 years, which is pretty incredible. (He is a) consistent team guy. He’s one of our alternate captains. He’s always there to build off, always building chemistry. He’s been a top forward for quite some time now.

“‘Hausy’ definitely gets the job done when it’s much-needed. Several years now in a row, he’s scored a go-ahead goal, or an overtime winner, like a few years ago, up in Calumet to send us to the championship. So, yeah, great player, great guy, great friend, and we’re happy to have him.”

While they did not get the regular season wins they are capable of getting, the Wolverines still feature a roster with talent. Matt Yeo leads the way with 19 goals and 33 points. Captain Logan Rastello has 13 goals and 32 points. Gabe Coppo has eight goals and 26 points.

Geshel said that the Pioneers know that even though they enter the tournament as the top seed, there is no guarantee that they will be standing Sunday. They will try to rely on their goaltending, which he says helped Portage Lake get this far. However, a team like the Wolverines is up to the challenge.

“Like in most sports, and even in professional hockey, night in and night out could be completely different,” Geshel said. “In our league, it’s traveling versus injuries, but goaltending is a huge part. We have a really solid core of goaltenders in the last few years, which we’re super grateful for. They’re great guys and they show up when they are called upon.

“Whether you’re the No. 1 seed or the No. 9 seed, anything can happen when it comes to playoffs.”

The tournament opens Friday morning at 11 a.m. with a game between DePere and Sun Prairie at Dee Stadium. Calumet opens their schedule with Fox Cities at 11:30 a.m. at the HoCo Arena. Portage Lake’s first game will be at 5:30 p.m. at Dee Stadium against Sun Prairie.

Calumet’s second game will be at 6 p.m. Friday against Fond du Lac at the HoCo Arena. Portage Lake’s second game will be at 2 p.m. against DePere at Dee Stadium.

The semifinals start at 5:30 p.m. at Dee Stadium. The winner of Group B, which features Fond du Lac, Fox Cities, and Calumet, will face the winner of Group C, which features Mosinee, Eagle River, and M&M. The second semifinal game will be at 8:30 p.m. at Dee Stadium, and it will feature the winner of Group A, which features Portage Lake, DePere, and Sun Prairie, and a wild card team.

The winners of the semifinals will meet Sunday at 1 p.m. at Dee Stadium for the championship game.

“We’re going to have 12 games with nine teams of 30-plus guys and families coming to the area,” said Geshel. So, we’re trying to accommodate, whether it’s passing out informational packets for local businesses in the downtown areas, having food vendors at the rink, and we will be selling some alcohol there.”

Tickets are available online for the weekend, or day passes can be purchased at the door during the tournament.

Portage Lake forward Dylan Farmer skates the puck up the ice during a game against Eagle River Friday, Feb. 20, at Dee Stadium in Houghton. (David Archambeau/For the Gazette)