The Innisfail Eagles may have already gone through the proverbial cleaning out of the lockers act as a means to officially mark the end of the season but senior team officials are already looking ahead to next year.
The Birds were eliminated in the Chinook Hockey League final series late last month by the reigning Allan Cup champion Bentley Generals, a hockey squad that is becoming entrenched as the Eagles' on-ice archrivals.
And while the powerful Generals may have swept the Eagles in four games, it was not easy, particularly the last two games when they had to dig extra deep in overtime to down the Birds.
The Eagles' overall play this year, their first year back in the top echelon of senior men's hockey, was not lost on locals, who packed the Innisfail Arena in the finals on a realistic hope that the Generals could be beaten by their hometown heroes.
“Our organization has come so far in the last two years. To go from only winning one game two years ago to challenging for the provincial AAA title is an exceptional accomplishment that I couldn't be more proud of,” said Randy Graham, president of the hockey club. “Seeing consistently packed stands every game night is a testament to the work our organization has done. We will be working hard in the off season to prepare for next year to make our team on and off the ice even better.”
Club director Mike Bennett, who is also the team's historian, said his organization, including the coach and every player, is committed to seeking the same goal next season as they did this year, and that is to get past the Generals and go all the way to the Allan Cup championship series that will be held in Clarenville, N.L.
“We took them (Bentley) to two overtime games in the playoffs, beat them twice in the regular season. We are close. We are right there,” said Bennett. “It is a learning experience. You have to see what they have and what we need to get to the next level. It shows that we were close.”
Bennett is determined to bring home the Allan Cup to the very heart of Central Alberta. The Eagles have never been to the big dance of Allan Cup play, and neither has any past senior men's squad from Olds.
The Eagles, who have been officially around for 66 consecutive years, have been playing at various levels in the Chinook Hockey League (CHL) since 1955, making them the longest surviving team in the league.
The closest the team came was in the late 1970s and early 1980s when in three out of four seasons they played in the Alberta/B.C. final but lost, and did not advance to the western final and on to the Allan Cup series, which then was just played between two teams. Meanwhile, the best season the long defunct Olds Elks senior men's team had was in 1963 when it won the western Canada intermediate championship.
To help the Eagles get to the Holy Grail of senior men's hockey, both Graham and Bennett know the community support has to be there, and the two team builders are convinced the past season has proven it is firmly in place and growing.
“We realize that we could not have accomplished this without the incredible level of support we received from the community, sponsors and volunteers,” said Graham.
Bennett said while the Eagles have to push past the Bentley hockey club to achieve their goal on the ice, the local organization will use its rivals' community support as a template towards its own success.
“When Bentley comes to the Arena they bring 200 fans with them. They are not very far away. They travel with them. They go to Stony (Plain) too,” said Bennett. “We are growing slowly. We get people who didn't use to come to games before and now they are coming to Bentley to watch the games.”
In the meantime, the Eagles will continue to fine-tune their squad, looking for the right players where and whenever they are available. Many come from all parts of the province and even the country just to have the opportunity to play for Brian Sutter, a hockey legend on the ice and a former coach of the year in the NHL.
“The big thing is that it is a growing pain,” said Bennett of the team's determination to move to the next level. “It is like going into a new business and working with a bunch of new people. It is a team effort. You have to jell as a team. By the end of the season we were starting to do just that.”
The 2013/14 Innisfail Eagles are having a wrap-up party on April 5 at the Super 8 Hotel.
