Yellowhead Chiefs ready for home game in Neepawa

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Published on Wednesday, December 17, 2014

By Eoin Devereux

The Neepawa Banner

The Yellowhead Chiefs are looking forward to playing in their home away from home, as they’ll host the Eastman Selects at the Yellowhead Centre in Neepawa on Friday night.

Coach Chad Facey said the Chiefs have accumulated an 11-12-0 record, with eight of those wins coming at home in the friendly confines of the Shoal Lake Communiplex. Facey noted Yellowhead hopes to keep its home ice advantage going in Neepawa but knows that could be difficult.

“We’re hopeful that the team can acclimate to the rink quickly, but it likely will have a similar feel to a road game. A lot of the kids on the roster have not played on that ice, so it will take some great home support to turn that around,” said Facey. “We’re optimistic that we’ll have a good solid crowd full of supporters. Some people in Neepawa perhaps haven’t had a chance to see us in action. This is a very exciting group of players to watch and it should be a good night of hockey.”

Forward Logan Young is the lone member of the Chiefs who is from Neepawa. Facey said he’s sure it’ll be nice for him to play a bit closer to home. 

As for Yellowhead’s opponent, Facey noted that the Eastman Selects are one of the top teams in the Manitoba AAA Hockey League. 

“Eastman is a hard nosed, rugged team. They  transition the puck well and put a lot of pressure on their opponents,” said Facey. “We’ll definitely preparing for a hard, physical game.”

Game time is set for 7:30 pm