INNISFAIL – The Birds of Innisfail are back to hockey mode after celebrating their recent senior men’s provincial championship win but they will soon have to find a practice rink.
The ice at the Innisfail Twin Arena was expected to be removed by March 31.
Ryan Dodd, the Eagles’ general manager, told the Albertan following their provincial championship win on March 18 that there was a lot of work ahead to get the team ready for the 2023 Allan Cup tournament that runs from April 16 to 22 in Dundas, Ontario.
“We have to keep the guys conditioned because the ice goes out of there at the end of the month, so we have to find another arena and practise five or six times here because we got the month off,” said Dodd. “We’re going to keep ourselves fresh. You can’t build up any rust.
“We have to keep our feet moving and we’re going to take a jet plane and head out in April to Dundas. We are not done yet.”
Dodd said the team is looking at possibly practising after March 31 in either Olds or Penhold, but those venues have not yet been confirmed.
“It would be nice to go south because we have a lot of guys coming out of Calgary, so it’s a little easier for them,” said Dodd. “It's a four-team tournament and you go out there and they got some great hockey teams and it sounds like possibly we might have one team even coming from Nova Scotia.
“It’s put your best team forward and away we go and try to bring back our first Allan Cup championship.”
In the meantime, the Eagles still have to raise $60,000 to pay for the travel, meal and lodging expenses for the 40 or so team players, coaches and staff that are making the trip to Ontario.
The team has a sponsorship package that’s detailed on the team’s website, and two well known community builders, Jason Heistad and Janice Wing, have stepped up and created a GoFundMe page called Support Allan Cup bound Eagles.
“We're going to challenge our friends in the community to help fundraise for the Eagles to get to Dundas for the Allan Cup, and help pay for their expenses getting there for their 75th anniversary,” said Heistad, a team sponsor with his family. “It’s a community-based team and Janice and I have been living in Innisfail for more than 30 years and with going to games enjoying them and just watching friends and family sitting in the stands.
“It was a good thing to do to help the Eagles get to Dundas to the Allan Cup,” he added. “I hope the whole community supports the team.”
Meanwhile, top brass with the resurrected senior men’s AAA Chinook Hockey League (CHL) said they are more than pleased with the way its three teams and organizations performed this year.
Sam Maupin, the CHL president who was in Innisfail on March 18, said hockey operations “went well” despite the league being rebooted with only three teams.
“It's a bit tough playing in such a small league having to face the same teams over and over again all winter but I think all three teams did an excellent job and we had a wonderful season,” said Maupin. “That was a great accomplishment for everyone that sits around the table. We have worked hard in the off-season and off ice this season to make sure this league could come back after three years off for COVID.”
She said the plan is already in place to see the CHL grow.
“We would love to add some more teams for next season,” said Maupin, confirming there will be a 2023-24 season for the CHL. “Anyone that's interested in putting together a triple A team we encourage them to reach out and we would love to have more skates on the ice for next year.”
