LACOMBE – After three games in the best-of-seven North Central Hockey League (NCHL) championship series the Innisfail Eagles lead two games to one.
Over the weekend, the Birds split two games with the defending champion Lacombe Generals.
The Eagles took Game 2 on March 15 with a solid 6-3 home victory over the visiting Generals before a packed, standing room crowd of more than 1,000 fans at the Innisfail Twin Arena.
The win gave the Birds a two games to none lead in the senior men’s hockey series.
The following afternoon on March 16 at Lacombe’s Gary Moe Auto Group Sportsplex, the Generals came out with a full press offence to get back into the series.
Despite a late rally by the never-say-die Eagles, the Generals hung on to take a close 4-3 victory for their first win.
“We knew this would be their big push. Obviously, they don't want to go down three games to none. Nobody does in any series,” said Eagles head coach Ryan Dodd. ”And we got away from our game plan a little bit tonight.
“Everybody's got to be on the same page out there and unfortunately we weren't at certain times,” he added. “We'll regroup and we'll come back strong on Friday night.”
The first period of Game 3 saw the determined Generals blast 20 shots at Eagles netminder Chance Griffith.
The Generals’ Jared Williams and Craig Gans both scored first period goals and Lacombe led 2-0 after one period.
Lacombe came out in the second period with all gears firing again and Colin Zimmer made it 3-0 at 16:07.
But Nick Bell finally scored for the Eagles at 10:01.
The goal sparked Innisfail and the complexion of the game changed dramatically.
For the rest of the second period, it was the Eagles that dominated, which gave the beleaguered Griffith some relief.
A few minutes after Bell’s goal the Birds game ever so close to making it 3-2 when their own full press forced a puck to trickle through the goal crease behind General’s goalie Mackenzie Engel and within an inch or two of crossing the goal line.
But it was not meant to be.
Despite the Eagles pressure the Generals seized an opportunity from a late period power play and Thomas Beretta scored with 1:34 remaining and it was 4–1 after 40 minutes of play.
Both teams had several chances in the first half of the third period but Griffith and Engle held their respective forts.
But with 6:16 remaining the Birds’ Chase Thudium scored, and just over two minutes later Jacob Wozney added one more and it was 4-3.
But Lacombe held on in the final minutes to take the win.
“We didn’t expect to win them all,” said Thudium. “We had a good push in the third and I think we’re leaving this game with the momentum and that's going to be huge for us going into next weekend.”
In the home team’s dressing room Lacombe head coach Travis Yonkman said his team’s main focus for Game 3 was to just get “feet going.
“Not coasting, being passive. It was kind of a relentless effort, a desperate effort,” said Yonkman, adding his team always has confidence even after losing the first two games of the 2025 NCHL finals. “We always had confidence. That's one thing our team doesn't lack, even in the dress room we've always been positive.
“We will always be in the game.”
Game 4 is set for Friday, March 21 at the Innisfail Twin Arena. Puck drop is 8 p.m.
Game 5 is on March 22 and back to Lacombe’s Gary Moe Auto Group Sportsplex. Puck drop is 7:45 p.m.
