Local Sports

If you ask Dez Lorencz a question about hockey here is what he might tell you. The average age of the players on the Innisfail Eagles hockey team is 29. Three of them have played in the NHL. Four have European hockey experience.

Little to choose from on paper, even less to differentiate on the ice.

The Innisfail Eagles are one win away from moving on to the Chinook Hockey League finals.

For the first two periods at the Innisfail Arena it looked like the Eagles had watched the Canada ñ United States Olympic hockey semi-final game and took a decidedly defensive cue from the winning Canucks.

Amidst the calls of "Hurry!" and "Hard!" echoing throughout the cavernous Olds Curling Club on the afternoon of Feb. 15, there was also laughter, good-natured ribbing and plenty of compliments for those throwing good rocks.

The annual Innisfail Ladies Bonspiel is now in the history books as well as its own celebration of this year's Sochi Winter Olympic Games. The bonspiel, held at the Innisfail Curling Club from Jan. 31 to Feb.

Sundre High School does not have a curling team this year, for what could be the first time in 30 years.

When Darryl Laplante made the decision to leave professional hockey in 2004 there was no notion he would ever return. As a forward he played in minor professional hockey for most of seven gruelling seasons.

It was a hard fought game in game two of the first round Chinook Hockey League playoff series between the Innisfail Eagles and Fort Saskatchewan Chiefs.

The 2014 Alberta Winter Games wrapped up on Feb. 9 with Olds athletes coming back with two medals. Zone 2, which includes Olds, struck gold in girls’ hockey.