By Neil Babaluk

MJHL Web Correspondent

Hard fought battles and fierce rivalries are what the Sher-Wood Division has long been known for. With the Dauphin Kings loading up their roster for a run at the Royal Bank Cup, the level of play has been ratcheted up as the other teams in the division try to keep pace. For first year Neepawa Natives’ coach Bryant Perrier, the Sher-Wood division is everything advertised.

“I think this is one of the best divisions in hockey,” said Perrier. “This Sher-Wood Division is everything that they said it would be.”

Perrier comes to the Natives after a lengthy career coaching in the British Columbia Hockey League. After racking up 350 wins in B.C., he came east to Manitoba to take over a team that finished fifth in the Sher-Wood Division and was knocked out in the first round of the play-offs.

He had the Natives sitting fourth in the division at the all-star break, trailing the Portage Terriers and slightly ahead of the OCN Blizzard. It’s a logjam in the middle of the Sher-Wood standings, with two play-off spots up for grabs and a potential crossover spot in the Addison Division, if the fifth place team edges out the Winnipeg South Blues.

“Our division, with Dauphin hosting the RBC [Royal Bank Cup] is a very competitive division,” said Perrier. “It’s a dogfight every night.”

To stay competitive, Perrier has stressed an intelligent, but hard working game plan for the Natives. As he puts it, “a white collar mentality with a blue collar work ethic.”

“Work ethic’s invaluable and that’s what we’re trying to build here,” said Perrier. “Two things we’ve infused are a good solid work ethic and an infusion of character players we wanted here. We wanted to be a physical team and we wanted to be a tough team in terms of how we play.”

Perrier has built the Natives around this mentality and credits his mid-season acquisitions, along with his role players, as being an integral part of the team’s success.

“We acquired Caleb Suderman, undisputedly one of the top two defencemen in the league,” said Perrier. “Guys like Blair Holmes and Calvin Cairns, those guys are your foot soldiers that bring it everyday and they don’t say a word. They just come to the rink and play the same every shift.”

He believes the key to the Natives finishing strong and grabbing a play-off spot is making the Yellowhead Arena the toughest building in the league for visitors.

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