The Neepawa Natives were unable to maintain an early two goal advantage in Swan River on Wednesday night, ultimately falling to the Swan Valley Stampeders 5-2 in MJHL action. Neepawa jumped out to the two goal lead late in the first period, as Nathan Hillis and Skyler Thorsteinson lit the lamp for the visitors.
Shifting into the second, Swan Valley took over control of the ice, peppering Neepawa goaltender Jeremy Link with 26 shots in a 20 minute time span. The 17-year-old stood on his head however to keep his team in contention. Swan Valley was able to eventually solve their scoring crisis, notching their first of the evening at 11:35 of the second. The Stampeders would also take advantage of a penalty shot a few minutes later, as Trevor Mann was awarded the opportunity at the 14:38 mark. He’d scored on the chance to make it 2-2.
Shifting into the third, Swan Valley was able to take the lead a little under two minutes into the period, as Carberry product Daylon Creasy scored his second goal of the season. A few minutes later, the Stamps doubled their lead with a power-play marker from Tristan Langan. Swan Valley added one more goal in the final five minutes of play to cap off the comeback and secure a 5-2 home win.
The victory improves Swan Valley’s regular season record to 10-14-3 and moves them into sixth place in the MJHL standings. Neepawa meanwhile falls to 6-19-0 on the year and remains three points behind Waywayseecappo for tenth place. The next game for the Natives is scheduled for Friday, Nov. 27, at the Yellowhead Centre versus the Winkler Flyers.