Rough road trip for Neepawa Natives
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- Published on Thursday, November 3, 2016
By Eoin Devereux
Neepawa Banner/Neepawa Press
It was a tough weekend for the Neepawa Natives, as the team was humbled by a pair of northern rivals. Neepawa first faced the OCN Blizzard at the Gordon Lathlin Memorial Arena on Friday, Oct. 28. Perhaps it was due to the wear and tear of a five plus hour road trip to the Pas or perhaps the OCN Blizzard are in fact just that good. Whatever the case may be, Neepawa ended the night on the negative end of an 8-0 decision. Neepawa outshot OCN 35-30, but couldn’t find a way to slip one past goaltender Emiliem Boily.
Looking to rebound after a loss on Friday night, Neepawa travelled to Swan River to take on the Swan Valley Stampeders on Saturday, Oct. 29. Once again, the Natives fell far short, this time losing 8-1. Neepawa peppered 36 shots at the opposition’s net, but Justin Metcalf was the only one who was able to get one behind Stamps goalie Connor Slipp. Metcalf notched his ninth of the season on a power-play chance just 5:48 into the opening period. Unfortunately, it was all Swan Valley on the stat sheet the rest of the way.
These most recent losses dropped Neepawa’s record to 5-11-0 on the season. The team will hope to turn their fortunes around this weekend with a pair of home games. The first showdown will be on Friday, Nov. 4 against the Portage Terriers. Then, on Sunday, Nov. 6 the Winnipeg Blues will visit the Yellowhead Centre. Head coach Dustin Howden said the team has had plenty of time to put the disappointment of last weekend behind them and are focused on what they’re up against this weekend.
“We have a pair of good teams coming into our arena, so it’s important for everyone to be ready. Portage is a strong club that we need to respect, but at the same time we can’t be intimidated by them. They’re not the same team that won the RBC Cup two years ago, or even last year’s squad. The gap is closing,” noted Howden. “As for the Winnipeg Blues, the fact is, that’s the team we are right behind in the standings, so this is a very important two points that are up for grabs. The parity across the MJHL is greater this year than it has been in a long time, so every game is important. You can’t let points get away from you early in the season, so the team has to be prepared to fight for those points.”
The start time for the game on Friday, against the Portage Terriers, is set for 7:30 p.m., while Sunday’s tilt with the Winnipeg Blues will begin at 6:30 p.m.
