INNISFAIL - The Innisfail Eagles finished their last home game of the regular season with a convincing 8-3 victory on Sunday afternoon against the visiting Rosetown Red Wings.
They split the weekend's games 1-1 after falling to a determined Stony Plain Eagles team 6-2 Friday night at the Innisfail Arena.
The Birds welcomed former Edmonton Oilers captain Ryan Smyth and the Stony Plain Eagles for their second-last home game of the regular season.
Smyth made his debut Friday night, playing his very first game here in Innisfail.
The captain of the Stony Plain Eagles liked his team's effort Friday but praised Innisfail for a well-fought battle.
"You got to give Innisfail credit, they came out hard. They outshot us 2 to 1 in the first period but we came away with two goals," said Smyth. "Yonkman (goaltender) played really well and kept us in the game. In the second I thought we started to take over a bit, but they got their way back into the game," he added. "In the third we just got on the power play and took advantage of it."
Special teams did play a factor in Friday's game. Stony Plain opened the scoring Friday with a short-handed marker late in the first frame. Innisfail went zero for nine on the power play, while Stony Plain went two for 13 with the man advantage.
The visiting Eagles took a two-goal lead after 20 minutes but Innisfail found the back of the net late in the second period with a goal from Tyler Beechey. Mike Winther scored Innisfail's only other goal early in the third frame.
"We came out with the energy we wanted; we got lots of shots in the first," said Beechey. "It was a tight 2-1 game (in the second). We got a couple bad breaks and got behind."
Beechey said his team is ready for the first round of playoffs.
"We're making steps in the right direction," he added. "We're looking forward to this matchup against Stony Plain, that's for sure."
Innisfail Eagles captain Joe Vandermeer said his team has had a good regular season, losing several close one-goal games. Consistency will be a key factor heading into playoffs.
"We got a lot of young guys here moving forward, building this team," said Vandermeer, noting eight overtime losses. "We'll take those and learn from them. I think in the long run, in the playoffs, these battles we've been going through to get to this point will pay off," he added.
With just one more week remaining in the Chinook Hockey League regular season, both teams are looking to step up their game and win, and that promises to be an exciting first-round series.
Smyth noted the battle his team will face in the first round.
"They got guys that don't quit," said Smyth. "I think that's a Sutter mentality and it shows. They don't quit until the end."
The Innisfail Eagles are on the road for their last two regular season games. They are in Lacombe on Feb. 1 and in Stony Plain on Feb. 4.
Ryan Smyth
"They got guys that don't quit. I think that's a Sutter mentality and it shows. They don't quit until the end."
