Neepawa, Gladstone battle for top spot in THHL East
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- Published on Friday, January 16, 2015
By Eoin Devereux
The Neepawa Banner
The Neepawa Farmers remain the top team in the Tiger Hills Hockey League’s Eastern Division, though the Gladstone Lakers are inching closer. As of Thursday, Jan. 15, only two points separated the teams, with Gladstone holding a game in hand.
The Lakers helped their cause on Wednesday, Jan. 7, when they defeated the Farmers 7-1 in Gladstone. Dan Leslie and Blaine Jarvis had big games for the Lakers, each accumulating two goals and two assists on the evening. Colt Meloney, Devon Smith and Matt Boschman all added a single goal on the way to the win. Bryan White notched the only goal of the game for Neepawa.
The Farmers were looking to rebound from their disappointing performance in Gladstone with a stronger effort on Friday, Jan. 9, in Pilot Mound. The team was able to bounce back, as Cam Tibbett, Devin Epp and Shane Levandosky each scored for Neepawa on the way to a 3-2 win.
Gladstone would keep pace with Neepawa the following evening with a 5-2 triumph over the Cartwright Clippers. Lakers captain Blaine Jarvis had another big night, tallying another four points, two goals and two assists. Devon Smith and Landon Thomson also chipped in with three points each.
The busy schedule may have finally caught up to the Lakers on Sunday, Jan. 11, as they were defeated by Deloraine 2-1 in a shootout. Devon Smith scored the only goal of the game for Gladstone at 16:52 of the third period. Blaine Jarvis and Landon Thomson garnered assists.
With five games remaining in the regular season, the Neepawa Farmers are 13-5-1 and have 27 points. Gladstone has six games remaining and are 12-5-1. Passing Neepawa in the east division standing could be tough for the Lakers however, as five of their final six games are on the road. So far this season, Gladstone has accumulated a 4-3 record away from home.
In the THHL Western Division, Killarney is in top spot with 25 points. Hartney is second with 24 points, while the Souris Elks are third with 21.
