Neepawa Natives host coach’s meet and greet

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Photo by Eoin Devereux. New head coach Dustin Howden (left) introduces himself to the community.

By Eoin Devereux

Neepawa Banner/Neepawa Press

The faithful fans of the Neepawa Natives came out en masse to meet the team’s new head coach. The Junior ‘A’ club hosted a meet and greet with Dustin Howden on Tuesday, Apr. 26 at Chicken Corral. A large number of season ticket holders came out to speak with the new bench boss and get an update on the preparations for the 2016-2017 MJHL season.

Howden, who served as an assistant coach for the past two seasons, said it was very nice to meet with the public in this manner.

“It’s been a great night. We’re a small community, but extremely close knit. The community support is what ensures [the organization] functions. Without the people, [the team] wouldn’t be around. Overwhelmed with the support. I’ve received a lot of phone calls and texts from around the community, so I’ve felted very welcomed,” said Howden.

Neepawa Natives team president Ken Waddell said the executive board was very happy with the response to the meet and greet. He said seeing so many people come out to show their support for Howden and for the team in general, was a welcome sight.