Neepawa Farmers ready for THHL season
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- Published on Wednesday, October 19, 2016
Photo by Eoin Devereux. The Neepawa Farmers faced the Minnedosa Bombers in pre-season action on Saturday, Oct. 15 at the Yellowhead Centre. That contest ended in a 7-7 tie.
By Eoin Devereux
Neepawa Banner/Neepawa Press
With the 2016-2017 Tiger Hills Hockey League regular season set to begin, the Neepawa Farmers are heading into the year with a real sense of optimism. Training camp is underway for the senior ‘A’ hockey club, with between 25 and 30 players vying for the chance to represent the team. General manager Rodney White noted that while the core of the 2015-2016 squad has returned, there are also about a half dozen new prospects in camp who are seriously pushing for a spot on the roster.
“There are some younger guys, who are really pushing the veterans out there [in training camp]. Like Kyle McDonald, a former Neepawa Native and a local guy. As well, Ward Szucki, who has previously played for Neepawa and Winkler [Flyers] in the MJHL and Matt Lowry, who played for the Brandon Wheat Kings and has AHL and [the East Coast Hockey League] experience, are also out at camp, which has been great to see,” noted White.
For the upcoming season, 13 clubs will once again hit the ice across the Tiger Hills Hockey League, though there will be one new community added to the circuit. The Town of MacGregor was approved earlier this year as a new expansion team, while Glenboro has taken a one year hiatus from operation. White said that losing Glenboro was unfortunate, the addition of MacGregor should make for an interesting regional rivalry for several clubs.
“With MacGregor in the fold for this season, there’s a lot of new rivalries that are now out there. [The Neepawa Farmers] have had a close rivalry with Gladstone for quite some time, and the addition of Minnedosa to the league last year was great for both communities. It has already made for some intense games between the two clubs,” stated White. “With all four communities so close to one another, it makes travelling to some of the out of town games easier, which will make the regular season a bit more fun.”
Neepawa’s regular season begins on Saturday, Oct. 22, when they travel to Deloraine to face the Royals. The first home game for the Farmers will be on Sunday, Oct. 30, versus the Cartwright Clippers. As they prepare for the upcoming year, White hopes that the community will rally behind their local club.
“Support for this level of hockey is important, whether it’s coming out to the games, buying a team sponsorship or volunteering. There are a lot of people behind the scenes that work hard to ensure this team succeeds, so every set of helping hands is appreciated. You can help out with the 50/50 or as a time keeper. It would be great if we could find someone with a class three license, who could drive the team bus. I’m sure we could arrange something with them for their time. I can be contacted at 476-6044, if you’re able to help out in any way,” White said. “It’s important to remember that when you come out to support this team, you’re supporting Neepawa. All the players are either from here, they work here or have a connection to the community. When you come out and see us play, we can promise you that we’ll be competitive in every game and it’s going to be fast paced action this is your home town team.”
