The Innisfail Eagles illuminated the goal light three times Jan. 11 at the Sylvan Lake Medican Multiplex, but their efforts weren't enough to stall the hometown Admirals, who managed four.
Now Innisfail is regrouping, preparing for the final battles of the regular season.
ìWe had a good effort at the start of the game,î said Ryan Kallis, who scored the icebreaker at 11:17 in the first. ìWe kind of lapsed a bit in the middle and got away from our system.î
Brandon Knelsen tied it up for Sylvan Lake with four minutes left in the first. Andrew Boute put the Eagles back in pole position with help from Tylor Keller and Dan Shermerhorn briefly in the second before the Admirals grabbed a pair.
ìI hate to say it, we just didn't have the luck at the end of the game,î Kallis said. ìWe tried and tried and tried, but just couldn't beat them.î
Darnell Glass, right-winger originally from Craven, Sask., felt their efforts went unrewarded by the hockey gods.
ìWe had double to one shots and a lot more scoring chances,î he said. ìWe couldn't get a bounce and couldn't bury pucks in the net.î
Sylvan added one more notch to their belt before Innisfail's Jeff MacPhee put an end to the damages, scoring the team's goal, but it was too little too late.
With the 4-3 loss on the book the team now begins the refocusing process.
After the game former Bentley General Kent Beagle, who joined the team the previous day just beating the trade deadline, looked forward to final days before the playoffs.
ìI started the year in Bentley, then I retired,î Beagle said. ìSutter talked me out of retirement.î
Glass isn't too worried about the less than stellar performance given by the Eagles in Sylvan. He's confident they will rise again.
ìI don't think there's any reason to panic, you know,î he said. ìWe've gotta bounce back.î
The next home game will be against the Stony Plain Eagles Fri. Jan. 18 at 8:30 p.m. and will also honour Dean, Jason and Dona Edgar, who represent a combined 25 seasons on the ice and 500+ games in the stands boosting the fortunes of the Eagles.
