INNISFAIL – The Innisfail Eagles will play its final regular season game of 2024 on the road on Saturday when the team faces off against the Devon Barons.
After 11 games so far in the season, the Innisfail Eagles are sitting at 15 points in the North Central Hockey League standings, leaving them in fourth place and tied in points with the Wetaskiwin Longhorns and Stony Plain Eagles.
The Birds' Dec. 14 game against the Stony Plain leading to the tie in points was one many senior men's hockey fans in Innisfail and beyond had been waiting for.
The Eagles of Innisfail and their namesakes from Stony Plain were longtime provincial rivals in the AAA Chinook Hockey League (CHL) but both teams made the move this year to the nine-team AA North Central Hockey League (NCHL) for the 2024-25 season.
For most of the first half of the season Stony Plain was rolling along nicely, while the Birds of Innisfail proved they were also top contenders.
And last weekend, the old rivals finally reacquainted themselves at the Innisfail Twin Arena in what was expected to be close, hard fought hockey game, just like the old days in the CHL.
It was not to be.
The Birds of Innisfail gave a serious clipping to the northern Eagles’ talons.
The final score was 14-2 for Innisfail, with the home team out-shooting Stony Plain by a margin of 56 to 31.
Mike Marianchuk led the offence for Innisfail with a five-point night, including a hat trick and the first goal of the game in the opening period.
Innisfail led 3-0 after one period, with the other two goals scored by Chance Longjohn and Quintin Lisoway.
In the second period, Innisfail scored seven times against just one for Stony Plain.
Longjohn got two more for his hat trick while Lisoway got his second of the night. Singles went to Tyler Berkholtz, Riley Simpson, Josh Gette and Jacob Wozney.
It was 10-1 after 40 minutes of play.
In the third period Marianchuk scored two goals to himself a hat trick, while singles went to Ty Clay and Dave Nippard.
Chance Griffith got the call to mind the net for Innisfail and he turned aside 29 out of 31 shots fired his way to earn the victory.
The Eagles will continue to be on the road for the first two weekends in January.
The Birds next home game at the Innisfail Twin Arena is scheduled for Jan. 18 against the Westlock Warriors. Puck drop at the Innisfail Twin Arena is at 8 p.m.
