Neepawa Farmers gain ground in THHL standings

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Neepawa Farmers gain ground in THHL standings

Details: Published on Monday, December 12, 2016

Photo by Martin Warner

By Eoin Devereux

The Neepawa Press/Neepawa Banner

A pair of important wins over the weekend have put the Neepawa Farmers within striking distance of top spot in the Tiger Hills Hockey League’s eastern division. The club’s first triumph was a hard fought 5-4 victory over the Minnedosa Bombers (6-2-0) on Friday, Dec. 9 at the Yellowhead Centre.

Neepawa’s Lance Nugent got things going for the home side with a pair of goals in the opening period. Bombers forward Matt Saler notched a goal of his own in between the Nugent opportunities, to make it a 2-1 score after 20 minutes of play.

In the second, both teams traded chances, but goaltenders Curtis Nelson and Cody Pollon put in exceptional efforts between the pipes, to keep it a low scoring affair. The Farmers’ Ryan Menei was the only player able to put one away, as he took advantage of a partial breakaway with 11:17 remaining in the period. That was the lone goal of the second, making it 3-1 for the Farmers heading into the third period.

In the final frame, things got interesting. First, Neepawa scored its fourth of the game off a Cam Tibbett shot just 1:54 seconds into the third. After that, Minnedosa started getting much more aggressive with its level of play, doing everything they could to crawl back into contention. That non-stop pressure on the Neepawa defensive unit ultimately paid off, as they scored three straight goals to tie the game at 4-4. First, Grant Jacobson slipped one past Brady Plett, who replaced Nelson in goal, with 9:14 gone in the third. Shane Jury followed that up around four minutes later and then Russ Hughye completed the comeback with 2:54 left in regulation. Minnedosa actually could have taken the lead with that Hughye goal, had an opportunity much earlier in the third not been waved off by the referee. The Bombers’ shot bounced off the crossbar and while Minnedosa believed it had scored, the ref didn’t see it the same way.

With the game tied at 4-4, it appeared that the two teams would be heading into overtime. A late game penalty against the Bombers, however, created a chance for the Farmers to reclaim the lead. Neepawa’s Matt Lowry would do just that, with a goal six-seconds into the man-advantage, making it 5-4 with just 89 seconds left in the third period. Not willing to let the game go without a fight, Minnedosa pulled the goaltender and threw everything they had at Neepawa looking for the equalizer. That pressure actually created a pair of quality scoring chances with less than a minute remaining, but they were stymied by big saves from Plett. As time ran out, Neepawa held onto a hard fought, but well earned 5-4 win. Two point nights from Lance Nugent (two goals) along with Ryan Menei and Matt Lowry (1G - 1A each) powered the Farmers to victory.

Neepawa looked to follow up its win over Minnedosa with an equally impressive effort against the MacGregor Wild on Sunday, Dec. 11 at the Yellowhead. It was the expansion Wild, however, who came out on fire, as they scored just 11 seconds into the first period when Tyler Hamm put away the quick one. Then, at the mid-point of the first, Scott Rintoul scored his fifth goal of the season, doubling MacGregor’s advantage.

In the second, both teams traded goals, as Riley Kolesar and Bret Levandoski scored for Neepawa and Hamm and Daniel Moar put a pair away for the Wild. That would make it 4-2 for MacGregor.

With just 20 minutes remaining in regulation, Neepawa headed into the third determined to climb back into the game. They were able to do that and then some, as the Farmers scored six consecutive goals to take a commanding 8-4 lead. Matt Lowry scored twice, while Kyle McDonald, Cam Tibbett, Riley Kolesar and Ryan Menei added singles. While MacGregor put one into the back of the net with just over a minute left, it was not nearly enough, as Neepawa took the win. Those two victories pushed the Farmers into second place in the eastern division standings, as they improved to 6-4-0 on the season.

Before the Christmas break, Neepawa will play a pair of games, first on Saturday, Dec. 17, when they host the Melita Bisons. The Farmers will then travel to Minnedosa for a game on Friday, Dec. 23, against the always tough Bombers squad.