INNISFAIL – It was a sweep that didn’t come easy.
It took two consecutive road victories, five periods of hockey, 53 shots on net and a determined team in game three, but the Innisfail Eagles got the job done.
The Birds took the best of five series 3-0 in the Allan Cup Hockey West league semifinals Saturday night (Feb. 16) with a 3-2 double overtime victory at the Innisfail Arena.
They will now face the Lacombe Generals in the ACHW league finals next weekend. Lacombe beat the Stony Plain Eagles in their semifinal series three games to one, with a 3-2 win last night (Feb. 16) in Stony Plain.
“We beat a good team,” said Eagles head coach Brian Sutter. “As the game went on we just kept talking about doing the little things and not getting away from it and we didn’t.
“Yorkie (goaltender Allen York) stood on his head and their goalie was incredible,” he added.
The Rosetown Red Wings were not going down without a fight and proved that by scoring just 16 seconds into the first period. Innisfail answered back four minutes later with a power play marker from Shawn Bates to tie the game at one.
“To finish in three (games) is pretty nice,” said Bates of Saturday’s victory. “We just beat a very good hockey team in three straight games and right now we’re preparing for the Allan Cup. It seems like we’re going in the right direction.”
Special teams were a big factor in game three, with both of the Birds' goals in regulation coming on the power play. Innisfail also took seven penalties through three periods, six of which they killed off.
Colton Hayes scored Innisfail’s second power play marker half way through the second period to give his team a 2-1 lead but Rosetown scored their second goal with a man advantage just five minutes later.
The game remained tied at 2-2 through the final frame in regulation and the first period in overtime.
Eagles forward Justin Cox scored the game winner just one minute into double overtime.
“My linemates made a good play. Ty Clay made a nice pass to me in front and had good vision to make that play. I was fortunate that I got a bit of a lucky bounce and it went in the net,” said Cox of his game and series-winning goal.
He knew winning game three at home was going to be a battle.
“You got to give Rosetown credit. It’s not an easy task to beat a team that good,” said Cox. “It’s one of those things where we just focus on what we got to do now and just try to build on each game.”
Cox said they want to keep the momentum going when they face the Lacombe Generals in the Allan Cup Hockey West league finals.
“Lacombe’s a great team. We’ve had some good rival games with them," he said. “They’re going to be prepared for us and we’re going to try to be prepared for them. (We'll) take it one game at a time.
“We got a great group of guys that really want each other to win and everybody’s pulling together,” said Cox. “I think the key is to just continue doing that and push each other to be better every day.”
The Allan Cup Hockey West league finals begin next weekend. Times and dates are to be announced.
