It was too early to celebrate. Every player on the Innisfail Eagles still wanted to be on the ice.
Their attention was in Red Deer where the Bentley Generals were about to play the third game of the best-of-five McKenzie Cup series against the Powell River Regals.
The Generals, the reigning Allan Cup champions, were up two games to nil. One more victory and they were going to Dundas, Ont. this month to defend their national title at this year's Allan Cup championship series.
But in Innisfail, the players, as well as team management and executive officials, along with sponsors and fans, gathered for a wrap-up party at the Super 8 Hotel to salute the season, despite not getting ready to play hockey Saturday night (April 5).
“We were right there to the end with Bentley. A couple of overtime games could have gone either way. Who knows what could have happened,” said Joe Vandermeer, the Eagles' star defenceman who was named the team's MVP Saturday. “It is the same thing that happened when I was playing with Bentley. It took us a bunch of years to lose before we won, which is hard to accept but is part of the growing and we are definitely heading in the right direction here.”
The Generals have certainly learned how to win, including in overtime, the way they won the last two games of the Chinook Hockey League finals against the Eagles last month. On Saturday, it was the answer again as the Generals beat the Regals 6-5 in overtime to advance to the Allan Cup championship series.
“We did have some ups and downs but all those kinds of things are what you do to build a team,” said second-year Eagle Brody Malek. “You learn to lose together and overcome that and in turn you learn to win together.”
Danny Daines, a director with the Eagles, said the team is proud of its past season, noting it was their first season back in the AAA men's senior hockey circuit, and the squad gave everything the Generals could handle in the league final. Daines said the solid performance shows the Eagles are getting closer to the ultimate goal of competing for the Allan Cup.
“It is nice to get everybody together and just reflect on what we have done,” said Daines, acknowledging that everyone would have preferred the Eagles still being on the ice. “It's water under the bridge, but next year when we come looking for Bentley, we're going to be knocking on the door hard and we're going to be kicking the door in, and we want to be ready for them.
“But now is just a fun night with everybody together, whatever capacity they did or any representative or fan who just liked following the Eagles,” he added.
Mayor Brian Spiller and Coun. Gavin Bates both came to the wrap-up to salute the Eagles' success this year. Both said the team's performance this year ignited the spirits of all hockey fans in the community.
“My oldest son played for the Eagles years ago and it is a pleasure to see them having such success,” said Bates. “Having gone to several games this year and watching them grow to play such competitive hockey, people who came to those games are going to realize what we got in town and it will continue to grow.”
