INNISFAIL – Like the old-fashioned high school adage, the Birds of Innisfail will continue to ‘dance with who brung you’.
In the Eagles’ case that “who’ is goalie Chance Griffith.
The former Mountainview Colts netminder served up a sensational performance in Game 2 of the current best of five North Central Hockey League semifinal series against an excellent Wetaskiwin Longhorns squad; giving his current Innisfail Eagles squad the inspiration and success it needed at just the right time.
Griffith will get the call to start in the net for Game 3.
“Yeah, when there's a fire, you let it burn,” said Eagles head coach Ryan Dodd. “He is hot.”
Most importantly for Dodd his entire senior men’s team is still on a high following its dramatic double overtime 3-2 victory on Feb. 23 against the Longhorns.
That game was especially satisfying after the 5-1 loss the Birds endured the night before on the road to open the semifinal series.
But with the big win at home on Feb. 23 the Birds now have momentum on their side in what can now be fairly described as a best of three series.
The team will be on the road Saturday (March 1) to play Wetaskiwin for Game 3.
And while the team has been riding high emotionally since Feb. 23 many players and staff have been battling a nasty flu bug.
However, Dodd and his team still held a practice on Feb. 26 and worked on their power play, which at times this season has been spotty.
“It's tough to practise. You can go through the reps of what you want to do but it's not a true power play,” said Dodd. “Guys don't block shots, guys don't force in certain areas but you get through the reps, and you get a good idea of what you want to do and how we want to accomplish it.
“We've got three lines of forwards that that can play the power play and put the puck in the net,” he said, adding Eagles’ forwards Chase Thudium, Chance Longjohn, Mike Marianchuk, Quintin Lisoway and Ty Clay have all shined on the power play.
“I really go with the guys who are skating and moving the puck well in a game,” said Dodd. “It’s really an in-game decision for me.”
Except for forward Tyler Berkholtz, who has family commitments, Dodd is expecting a nearly full line-up to go to Wetaskiwin for Game 3.
Berkholtz is expected to be back in the line-up for Game 4 in Innisfail on March 2.
“They've got to take care of their families,” said Dodd. “They have to be with their kids, and so he's missing Saturday's game but he'll be back for Sunday.”
As for Wetaskiwin, Dodd noted they are a team now “riddled with injuries”, notably former NHL and AHL pro Martin Sonnenberg who was taken off the ice on Feb. 23 with an apparent serious injury.
“He caught a rut and his skate twisted underneath him and it sounds like he broke his leg, so I don't expect to see him back,” said Dodd. “You feel terrible for the guy because he's such a great player and a really good person.”
With his team inspired from its Game 2 double overtime victory, and with the Longhorns apparently limping along with injuries, it would be easy to fall prey to over-confidence.
Dodd insists it won’t happen.
“We know this is going to be a big job and it’s going to be a war to get in there,” said Dodd, noting the importance of Game 3 in Wetaskiwin. “We have to take one up there. Our plan is to take Game 3 and then we'll worry about the next one after that.
“I don't think either team is going to take any game for granted in this series,” he added. “They will go to war to get this win.”
