Neepawa Natives top Dauphin Kings twice

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Published on Thursday, September 14, 2017

Neepawa's Lewis Negrich (#26) advances into the Dauphin defensive zone, as Kings defender John Jebamani (#4) looks to halt his momentum.

By Eoin Devereux

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It was a case of different nights, but similar results for the Neepawa Natives, as the team skated to a pair of 3-2 victories over the Dauphin Kings.

The first win was on Tuesday, Sept. 12 in Dauphin at Credit Union Place. The Kings would jump out to an early lead when Riese Gaber scored on a breakaway less than three minutes into the opening frame, giving the home side a 1-0 advantage. Neepawa would tie the game in the middle of the first, when Breaden Binda scored his first of the pre-season. 

In the second, Ashton Anderson collected a goal on a power-play chance, with Jordan Martin assisting on the effort. Heading into the third, the game turned into a shootout, with the Kings leading the shots on goal, by a 21-15 margin. Dauphin forward Brendan Arnold scored with a solid individual effort while the team was shorthanded. Neepawa responded less than a minute later, however, with Lewis Negrich scoring his first goal of the exhibition schedule. That would be the end of the action on the goal stat line, as the Natives held off Dauphin’s late push, to hold on to the 3-2 decision. Neepawa’s Evan Robert earned the victory with a 41 save effort, while Dauphin’s Brett Akins and Albert Adamsen shared the game between the pipes, with Akins stopping 19 shots and Adamsen turning away 21.

The two teams would meet again the following night, this time at the Yellowhead Centre in Neepawa. At the end of regulation, Neepawa once again found itself on the positive side of a 3-2 win.

This game would see the roles reversed, as on this night, it was Neepawa scoring early. Benoit Mowbray scored at the 4:38 mark of the opening period. The Kings bounced back, though, with a pair of goals before the end of the first.

In the second, very familiar names to Neepawa’s fanbase reclaimed the lead, as Justin Metcalf and Jordan Martin each scored their second goals of the pre-season. 

For the final period, Dauphin put tremendous pressure on Natives starting goalie Noah Morin, but were unable to find the equalizer. At the end of of game, Neepawa once more came out with the 3-2 decision. The victory improved the Natives’ pre-season record to 3-1-0, while Dauphin fell to 1-3-0.

The final two games of the pre-season will see the Natives play a back-to-back against the Winkler Flyers. The first matchup will be in Neepawa on Friday, Sept. 15. The two teams will meet once again, this time in Winkler the following night. Both games are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. start times.