Neepawa Farmers eliminated from THHL playoffs
- Details
- Published on Monday, March 13, 2017
By Eoin Devereux
The Neepawa Banner/Neepawa Press
A last minute goal from former Swan Valley Stampeder Daylon Creasy has sent the Carberry Plainsmen to the THHL finals for the second straight year. Creasy’s marker lifted Carberry to a 5-4 win over the Neepawa Farmers on Friday, Mar. 10 at the Yellowhead Centre. With that victory, the Plainsmen claimed the best-of seven series four game to one.
The game started on a positive note for Carberry, as they scored two goals within the first 12 minutes of the opening period. Michael Reykdal and Zeanan Ziemer earning those goals. Neepawa answered back, however, as Ward Szucki put away a pair before the first intermission, to tie it a 2-2.
In the second, Ian Kerkowich added another for the Farmers, to give them the one point lead heading into the final 20 minutes of regulation. The third period would be a dramatic back-and-forth between the two clubs. Blayne Fisher scored first for Carberry on a shot that did not cross the goal line. The official, from his vantage point however, believed that it did go in and awarded the goal to the Plainsmen.
Instead of complaining about the botched call, Neepawa simply retook the lead with a Matt Lowry shot less than a minute later. Carberry, however, kicked their effort up a notch in the final six minutes, forcing the Farmers back into their own zone. This late aggression paid off big, as first, Ziemer added his second of the night, to tie things up. Then, Creasy put away the winner on a screen shot, with only 48 remaining in the third. Neepawa tried to answer back, but simply ran out of time.
Carberry will find themselves facing last year’s league champs, the Killarney Shamrocks, in the THHL final. Killarney moved on by sweeping the Hartney Blues four games to none. The schedule for the best-of-seven championship was not released before the Press publication deadline. Those details, once made official, will appear in the Neepawa Banner.
