Neepawa Natives end losing streak

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By Eoin Devereux

The Neepawa Press/Neepawa Banner

The Neepawa Natives picked up an impressive come from behind victory in Selkirk on Sunday, Nov. 22, defeating the Steelers 5-4.

Neepawa scored the first goal of the matinee matchup, as Nathan Hillis tallied his second of the season at 9:52 into the opening period. Selkirk fired back however with three goals in the next six minutes to take back control of the game and head into the first intermission with a two goal cushion.

Instead of settling for another defeat, the Natives refocused in the second and it paid off very quickly with three goals in a 90 second span. Justin Metcalf started things rolling just 3:13 into the middle frame. They tied the game up 1:13 later, with Nathan Hillis getting his second of the afternoon. Not to be outdone, Justin Metcalf added his second goal of the period 17 seconds later, to give Neepawa a 4-3 lead and stun the home crowd at the Selkirk Recreational Complex. 

Selkirk lit the lamp just 33 seconds into the third to tie the matchup a 4-4. Skyler Thorsteinson reclaimed the lead for Neepawa four minutes later, however, with his first goal of the year. The final 15 minutes were extremely close, as the Steelers continued to press for the game tying goal. A strong effort from Natives’ goaltender Jeremy Link ensured that Neepawa’s recent losing streak would become a thing of the past with a 5-4 victory.