Game 7. Overtime. Heartbreaking loss.
It was an end to a series that many did not see coming.
With the Chinook Hockey League semifinal series between Innisfail and Bentley tied at three games apiece, the Innisfail Eagles fell to the Bentley Generals 5-4 in overtime of Game 7 on Sunday.
“It was a heck of a hockey game,” said Brian Sutter, the Birds' head coach. “When your team plays that hard and you lose in overtime of the seventh game and it's a referee's call, it's disappointing,” he added, referring to the high-sticking penalty the Eagles took less than a minute into overtime. “We wanted it so badly for our players because they deserved it.”
Game 7 saw a close battle between the Birds and the Generals, who got on the scoreboard early with a goal less than a minute into the first period.
Innisfail found their legs in the second frame and tied the game at 2-2, thanks to goals from Chris Bailer and Caylen Walls. The start of the third period saw the Eagles trailing by one but Mark Bomersback got the Eagles back in the game with a goal five minutes into the final frame.
Three minutes later Eagles goalie Dan Dunn made an outstanding save on a Generals breakaway.
“He gave us a chance to win,” said Sutter. “Like any successful goalie I'm sure he wants some of the goals back that went in against him, but you can't dwell on that. He gave us an opportunity to win. You can't ask for any more than that.”
At the halfway mark of the third period Bentley took a 4-3 lead.
“We played so well. We played hard, we did all the right things and they got a lucky goal to go ahead,” said Sutter, noting his players' determination. “That's the character of our team. (Bentley) scored a go-ahead goal and we pull the goalie and scored to tie it up with seconds to go.”
With just 21 seconds remaining in regulation, Chad Ziegler shot one in the Bentley net to keep his team alive and take the deciding game into overtime.
“It was a pretty special feeling,” said Ziegler. “I did see (the puck) go across the line before I knocked the net off. It was awesome to give us a chance.”
Ziegler spoke of the team's efforts in Game 7 and throughout the series.
“It was just one goal at the end. It wouldn't have mattered if I scored that goal if we didn't do what we did throughout the rest of the game,” he said. “Anybody who thought that Bentley was going to come in and roll over us didn't watch us throughout the year.
“The standings really didn't tell what kind of team we had,” he added. “I knew going into playoffs that no matter who we were playing, in a seven- game series the way we played, we had a shot.”
In Game 6 at home on Saturday (March 5), Eagles fans packed the arena in hopes of seeing a series victory for their team.
Bentley got on the boards early, less than a minute into the first period. Early in the second the Eagles answered back with a power-play goal from Dan Vandermeer. It would be their only goal of the night as the Generals took Game 6 with a score of 4-1.
Five of the seven games in the series were determined by just one goal noted Sutter, adding that his team had a great effort and playoff run.
“It was a good, hard, tough series,” said Sutter. “Our team played hard and I was proud of them.”
Chad Ziegler
"Anybody who thought that Bentley was going to come in and roll over us didn't watch us throughout the year. The standings really didn't tell what kind of team we had."
