The Innisfail Eagles went head to head against the Fort Saskatchewan Chiefs until the last seven minutes of the home game last Friday night, ultimately losing the game by one goal.
The Chiefs won 3-2 against the Eagles during the third game of the season at the Innisfail Twin Arena on Oct. 25.
“The last game against Bentley we played 28 minutes short-handed and we killed every penalty,” said Brian Sutter, Eagles coach. “Tonight the difference on the game is they scored in their power plays, and we got power-play goals too. That's part of the game, blocking shots and killing penalties, and making big saves at the right time. They won tonight like that.”
In the first period, the Eagles' Jason Nopper scored a goal with assists from Joe Vandermeer and Aaron Boyer during a power play at 1:39. However, the second period had several penalties and the boys could not take advantage with power-play opportunities and did not advance with any new goals.
“They scored in the five and three and we had two five and threes and scored one,” Sutter said. “That's really the whole difference in the game.”
But Sutter was more concerned about pressing his team and getting results. He said the “veteran team” was a tough one to compete against and expressed optimism for his team's future during an upcoming match with Bentley.
“We've gotta work on everything,” he said. “The tough part of it here is we practise once a week and it's not enough.”
The team can expect conditioning and scrimmaging drills at the next team practice. The Eagles' quest to progress to the Allan Cup this season has a long way to go, added Sutter.
“You can't be satisfied with or accept losing,” Sutter explained. “You know, I didn't think we played a good first period, but we were really good in the second. We were better in the third and we've just got to build on it, that's all. They're still learning. People make mistakes and you can't dwell on it.”
In the third, Nopper scored another goal during a power play with an assist from Tylor Keller at 13:06. Later, Nopper was rewarded with a home star after the game and Sutter insisted his team still had a long way to go this season after their quest for success was denied for the second time this season. At the end of regulation the Chiefs outshot the Eagles by a margin of 37 to 31, including 10 to 4 in the final period.
The Eagles are currently 1-2-0-0 and are slated to play a home game against the Bentley Generals at 8:30 p.m. on Nov. 8.
“We just want to keep working on little things,” said Sutter. “The guys are showing if they can play here or not, and it was a game where they've got a veteran team that kept coming after us. We've got a younger team and guys have to go and see what it takes to win because not every night you gotta stay every shift and every period.”
For more information about the Eagles, visit http://www.chinookhockeyleague.com.
