INNISFAIL – The town’s senior men’s hockey Birds are feeling mighty good about themselves this week following their recent come from behind series win against the Devon Barons.
But this weekend the North Central Hockey League (NCHL) semifinals start, and the competition for the Innisfail Eagles has decidedly ramped up.
The Birds are playing a best-of-five series against the Wetaskiwin Longhorns, a team that finished second in the nine-team NCHL league’s regular season, one spot ahead of Innisfail.
The Eagles begin their best-of-five semifinals on the road at Wetaskiwin’s Co-op Place on Saturday, Feb. 22. Puck drop is 8 p.m.
The same night the NCHL’s other semifinal begins with the Stony Plain Eagles facing off against the Lacombe Generals, the latter winning this season’s President's Cup as the NCHL team with the most points during the regular season.
The Birds will be back in Innisfail the following day on Feb. 23 for Game 2. Puck drop is 5 p.m.
And while Devon proved to be a frustratingly hardworking never-say-die team to defeat, the Wetaskiwin Longhorns are another beast altogether.
They are arguably faster, more skilled, and more physical.
“We're expecting this to be a physical series. They've got six guys that will be in the lineup on Saturday night that played with us in the last few years,” said Dodd.
Some of those players switching from Innisfail to Wetaskiwin include Richard Kelly, Colten Hayes, Zane Jones and Pete Vandermeer; the older brother of the Eagles’ Joe and Dan.
“There's going to be emotion that'll play in because some guys aren't happy that these guys left and went to Wetaskiwin,” said Dodd, whose team had practice this week to prepare for the series. “I'm sure that those guys are going to want to knock us out.
“So, right off the bat, you know there's going to be an edge to it, and it's going to be physical.”
But Dodd readily concedes the Longhorns are a talented hockey club with “gifted” players that have a special talent of putting the puck in the net.
He said discipline will be a key factor in the semifinals, much like it was against Devon in the series deciding game on Feb. 16.
“We did a good job at staying out of the box and limiting their opportunities on the power play, which is going to be exactly what we're going to have to follow through and do in this series; a gifted hockey team with lots of talent while they're looking for power play opportunities,” said Dodd. “We have to shut them down and, and obviously score on our opportunities, any power plays we get we have to put the puck into the net.
“We’ve got to be disciplined. We got to play our game and take it to him, and I'm confident we will.”
But mostly Dodd is expecting his players will have a lot of fun in the series, now that the team’s competition has ramped up to another level.
“You play however many years of playing against Stony Plain, back to back to back to back, and that's all you do is play against Stony Plain,” said Dodd of the waning years in the senior men’s AAA Chinook Hockey League when there were just two or three teams playing.
“This is just fun because you're in front of your fans and your friends, and your family are here, and they’re all talking,” said Dodd. “There’s such a sense of pride of being able to put the jersey on, representing their hometowns and representing their friends.
“Some of these guys are representing their grandfathers and fathers that played for the team, like Riley Simpson,” he added. “They love the opportunity to be able to put a show on out on the ice in front of the hometown.”
