Neepawa Natives excited about schedule, hope to see many fans
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- Published on Friday, August 12, 2016
By Kira Paterson
Neepawa Banner/Neepawa Press
The Neepawa Natives and the Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL) are getting back into things, with the new season schedule being released and the Natives’ annual general meeting coming up.
The 2016-17 season, starting for the Natives at home on Sept. 23, is looking positive for Neepawa right now. “Preparations are going well for the upcoming season,” said Natives team president Ken Waddell. “We have a new coach, Dustin Howden, who was our assistant for the past two years. Ryan Menai has moved to Neepawa from Alberta to be our assistant coach. Derek Pearson is our trainer and marketing manager. Myles Cathcart returns as general manager and has years of service and dedication to the club. We have a good off-ice team in place. We have a lot of volunteers stepping up to help, many with a lot of years experience with the club and some new ones as well.”
The team seems to be very impressed by how this season’s schedule turned out for them. “[The Neepawa Natives are] very excited about the schedule this year,” stated head coach Dustin Howden. “We feel we have good balance.” He explained that the team’s first few months of the season are busier and the last few are a bit calmer. Having to travel at the start of the season is much better than in the middle and end of the season, due to the milder, fall weather.
“We are happy with the schedule, lots of Friday night games, which is ideal for the fan base. Wednesday, Friday and Saturday are good nights to play,” added Myles Cathcart. Howden remarked, “We’re expecting exciting product this year. So hopefully, we’ll get lots of people out [to the games] at the start and get them hooked.”
As for the AGM, it’s scheduled for Monday, Aug. 15 at 7:30 pm at the Yellowhead Centre. Waddell explained, “The upcoming meeting is very important to let the community know how the club is doing, how the past year went and the improvements that are taking place.” Several board members have agreed to stand for re-election at the AGM, including Cam Tibbett, Eoin Devereux, Trevor Lizotte, Kevin Cook, Ross McBride, Rob James, Mike Hodgins, Mary Ellen Clark, Alan Gillies and Waddell. Dave Clark serves as MJHL league governor. Waddell said, “I want to thank Darian Major, Dan McInnes and Mike Bulbeck for serving on the board, their contribution has been appreciated.”
Howden noted that the coaching staff will also be attending the meeting. They look forward to meeting with the community and answering any questions that come up about the team. “The AGM is an opportunity to come out to talk about the team, see financial records, team updates and join the board if they want,” explained Cathcart. “It’s a great night and everyone should attend.” There are open positions on the board for anyone interested in joining. Other ways the community can support the team will also be discussed, such as buying season tickets and billet sponsorships.
Howden also pointed out the Sports Dinner coming up on Oct. 15. He said that the team is very excited to have former NHL player Lanny McDonald as the guest speaker this year. Tickets are on sale for the dinner now and will be available at the AGM as well.
