Innisfail Eagles tie playoff series with Wetaskiwin Longhorns

The Innisfail Eagles tied their North Central Hockey League Playoff Semi-Final series at 1-1 with a thrilling 3-2 double overtime win on Sunday.

Playing their home opener at the Innisfail Town Arenas, the Eagles had 400+ fans on the edge of their seats from the opening puck drop. A gripping intensity was displayed by both teams throughout the game, including wild end-to-end play during the overtime periods.

After suffering a sound 5-1 defeat to open the series the previous night in Wetaskiwin, the hometown Eagles showed both tenacity and patience, overcoming both two one-goal deficits and the outstanding play of Longhorn goalie Nick Schneider, who turned away 58 of 60 shots before finally being beaten by Eagle Ty Clay, who scored his second of the post-season at 14:01 of the second overtime period.

“I couldn’t be more proud of the effort the guys put in,” said Head Coach and General Manager Ryan Dodd. “It’s tough enough to go back-to-back in less than 24 hours, but to put in that kind of effort for almost five periods is just amazing. Ty (Clay) has been clutch for us all season but it was really a total team effort, and I can’t say enough about (Eagle goaltender) Chance Griffith — he was a beast out there for us and is a huge reason we’re heading back to their barn all tied up.”