By rdnewsNOW staff

To advance to league finals

Innisfail Eagles and Lacombe Generals meet in NCHL semifinals beginning this weekend

Feb 19, 2026 | 12:14 PM

The Innisfail Eagles and Lacombe Generals are set to go head-to-head in the North Central Hockey League semifinals.

Beginning on Saturday, the two central Alberta rivals will kick off the seven-game series in hopes of advancing to the Vanburg Cup finals.

“We’ve got a strong team this season with a lot of playoff experience in the locker room,” said Eagles head coach Ryan Dodd in a media release. “You could see how they kept their composure when we were down and how they kept battling back. That’s the kind of maturity you need this time of year.”

The first game begins at the Innisfail Twin Arena on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. before heading to Lacombe on Sunday for a 5 p.m. faceoff at the Gary Moe Auto Group Sportsplex.

The series will continue next weekend on Saturday, Feb. 28, in Lacombe at 7:30 p.m. before returning to Lacombe on Friday, March 6. The full schedule will be out soon.

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The Eagles reached the semifinals after sweeping the Devon Barons 3-0, and the Generals advanced after also sweeping the Tofield Satellites.

The two teams met in last year’s league finals, where the Eagles came out on top to claim the title in their first season in the league.

“There’s a lot of guys back from last year’s team, they’re big, strong and play smart hockey,” Dodd added. “They don’t give you much. We’re going to have to rely on our speed and quickness, and we absolutely can’t take too many penalties. Discipline is going to be huge in this series.”