Perfect start to 2016 for Neepawa Farmers
- Details
- Published on Wednesday, January 6, 2016
By Eoin Devereux
The Neepawa Banner/Neepawa Press
The Neepawa Farmers have begun 2016 with a pair of very important wins. The first game of the new year was on Saturday, Jan. 2 at the Yellowhead Arena, as the Farmers took on the Glenboro Nordics. At the end of the night, it was Neepawa who was the victor, with a comfortable 8-2 win.
Justin Miller led the charge for Neepawa on the stat sheet with three goals and an assist. All of Miller’s point were accumulated in the third period. Lance Nugent and Devin Epp also added a pair of goals respectively for the Farmers, while Garett Rempel tallied a lone goal, combined with two assists.
The next night, the Farmers travelled to Cartwright to face the Clippers. This contest was a close one, but it would be Neepawa, who ended the night with the two points, as they won in a shootout 3-2.
All the goals registered during regulation were within the first 20 minutes of the game. Ian Hockin and Garett Rempel scored for Neepawa, while Drew Haight notched both goals for Cartwright. From there, goaltenders Curtis Nelson and Kelly Manikel shut down the offensive efforts of both teams for the next 40 minutes of regulation and five minutes of overtime. During the shootout, Neepawa was finally able to solve Manikel and pick up their second straight win of 2016.
With these victories, Neepawa has improved to 12-5-1, good enough for 25 points and top spot in the Tiger Hills Hockey League’s Eastern Division. Currently, Carberry and Minnedosa are three points back of top spot, but have four games and two games in hand on the schedule respectively. In the Western Division, it’s a four team sprint to the top. The Boissevain Border Kings are holding on the first place with 21 points, but are just a single point ahead of the Hartney Blues. Killarney and Souris are close behind, with 18 and 16 points.
The next home game for the Neepawa Farmers is Sunday, Jan. 10, when they host the Minnedosa Bombers. Game time is scheduled for 6:30 pm at the Yellowhead Arena.
