The Innisfail Eagles opened the season with a tough 4-3 overtime loss to Stony Plain at home on Friday but rebounded the next night with a 4-3 victory in Stony Plain on Saturday.
Innisfail was first to score on the road when Mark Bommersback netted a goal just past the halfway mark of the first period. The Birds took a 2-0 lead minutes later with a marker from Ty Clay, but it was short-lived as Stony Plain found the back of the net making it 2-1 after 20 minutes.
The second period saw goals from both teams with Innisfail regaining the lead at 3-2 early in the frame. In the final 20 minutes Stony Plain once again tied the game at three but with just over a minute left, Innisfail's Simon Desbiens stepped up and netted the game winner.
It was a similar effort in the Eagles' home opener on Friday at the Innisfail Arena, but with a different outcome.
The Birds opened the scoring early with a goal from newcomer Ryan Caswell.
“It was good to get the first (goal) off the shoulders and for the team,” said Caswell. “We got to play a full 60 minutes. We let up a little bit in the second period and then penalties killed us in the (third period).”
Defenceman and Innisfail native Andy Willigar made an impressive debut Friday night with a strong presence on the blue-line.
He was thrilled to play in front of a hometown crowd.
“It's really special. It's something I was really looking forward to knowing that I wasn't going down south this year,” said Willigar, noting the Eagles' strong defensive squad this season and what he hopes to contribute to the team.
“We have a really strong back end, probably the deepest six or eight (defencemen) in the league,” he said. “I just try to compete hard every shift and try and chip in on offence. I do my best in my own zone to stop them from scoring.”
With the game tied at 1-1 late in the second frame, Clayton Goodall gave Innisfail the lead again. Early in the third period, Simon Desbiens made it 3-1 for the Birds, but penalty trouble cost the Eagles in the final 20 minutes. With less than two minutes left in the final frame, Stony Plain notched a power-play marker and thirty seconds later a short-handed goal tied the game at three, taking the Eagles' home opener to overtime.
With just over a minute remaining in the extra frame, Stony Plain scored their fourth and game-winning goal.
“We were winning the game with three minutes left. The bottom line is you got to stay out of the penalty box,” said Brian Sutter, Eagles head coach.
“We did a lot of good things. The good things outweighed the bad ones by a country mile. You just got to stay out of the penalty box,” he said. “That's what happens during a game and it's got to be a lesson. We got a point out of the game and we got to go on.”
Brian Sutter, head coach
"We did a lot of good things. The good things outweighed the bad ones by a country mile."
