Captain Friesen staying put, Natives acquire power forward

Ed Friesen has decided to stay on as captain of the Neepawa Natives and has turned down an opportunity to return to the WHL for the upcoming season.

Friesen, 20 and a native of Gladstone, Manitoba, had received an opportunity to attend training camp with The Regina Pats of The WHL.

"Ed is a great player and Regina had a spot for him as they have recently lost three of their 1990-born players to pro hockey (Jordan Eberle - Edmonton, Colton Teubert - LA, Tomas Hrcina - Czech Republic), so it looked very good for him to be able to play a significant role there," said Natives coach Bryant Perrier.

After lengthy discussions, in which The Natives staff encouraged Friesen to take the opportunity even though it would have been a huge blow to the team's season, Friesen made the decision to return to Neepawa in quest for his second MJHL championship in three years.

"We are not in the position of holding people up and we are all about advancement," Perrier said. "Ed deserved to know that we were completely supportive of him moving to Regina. We let it be known that we feel he is a player who can play at the highest levels someday and that this would be a great way to speed up that process."

"We also talked about how much we believe he can develop here."
Perrier was complimentary of the Regina organization, and the way they handled things.
"They came right through the front door with honesty and showed respect," he said. "They handled the whole thing with class and honor."
As fall approaches, The Natives are confident in their group heading into next season - most of all in the area of leadership.
"Ed is a great leader," Perrier said. "Regina is a smart organization and they picked a great guy to bring in."

"We are grateful to Ed for his confidence in our program and also glad that he is getting recognition outside our league."
"He deserves it."

The Natives also announced that they have acquired 6 foot 2, 190 pound power forward Colin Reaney from OCN.
In exchange, The Natives moved the MJHL protected player list rights to Vince Sauvie, a 19-year-old forward from Cando, SK.
Sauvie was the PJHL's top forward, first team all star, top scorer and rookie of the year last season.

Import restrictions made it difficult for The Natives to guarantee him a spot in the fall.
"We are deep up front and our recruiting has been great. Vince is a player who we did not want to give up, but felt we could accommodate him now in case he didn't crack our roster in the fall (as an import)," Perrier said. "If Vince is a Manitoba player, he is already signed."

Perrier believes it is a "win win" for both sides.
"OCN gets a good player, we get a guy who brings us more size, physical presence and toughness, and both guys have a good place to play."
Reaney played a defensive role for OCN last season, and contributed 4 goals and 4 assists in 53 games.

He also led the team in penalty minutes with 155, and was in the MJHL's top ten in fighting majors and penalty minutes.
The native of Ceylon, SK. finished second in rookie penalty minutes last season, and rookie majors.

Ironically, Reaney trailed only current Natives forward Calvin Cairns in each category.

The Natives also announced their 2010-2011 schedule on Friday.
The Natives will begin on the road Sept. 17 against the Portage Terriers before meeting the Terriers again for Neepawa’s home opener on Sept. 18.

-neepawanatives.com

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