With just days to go until their first game of the 2024 Allan Cup Challenge, the Innisfail Eagles mean business.
They will represent Alberta in Dundas, Ont. from April 20-27 where they’ll face the top Canadian senior AAA teams in hopes of winning a national title.
After failing to do much in the Allan Cup last year, head coach Ryan Dodd said this year has a different feel.
“The guys are hungry to get into it and get a win. This is something a lot of the guys have been chasing for quite a few years now and the feel of the team is completely different,” he said.
“We’ve got guys so focused and determined to get this championship and bring it back to Alberta. We’re quite happy with how things have been going and we’ve been skating lots.”
The Eagles know they’re up for a big challenge taking on some of the best teams in the nation. They’ll put their best foot forward and Dodd explained the veterans in the lineup are more determined than ever.
Innisfail lost in the Allan Cup final in 2019 and Dodd said it stung. Since then they’ve seen the departure of longtime coach Brian Sutter and saw some more player turnover throughout the pandemic. Since the Allan Cup last year, they’ve added some more veteran pieces along with a few younger players who’ve played well for them.
This year they won their second straight Alberta Senior AAA Provincial Championship defeating Stony Plain once again.
While last year many of the players took in the festivities during the Allan Cup tournament, Dodd said the whole team has a larger sense of urgency to get the job done.
“I remember one of the greatest things Brian ever said to me was, ‘You’ll never figure out how to win until you learn how to lose,’” he said.
“We hurt last year. Going all the way there and not being able to bring home the championship really stung and it stung a lot of our older veterans. They know they’re not going to get many more kicks at the can.”
The Eagles will open the tournament on April 21 against the Stoney Creek Riders, followed by a matchup with the host Dundas Real McCoys on April 22.
They will then play one more round-robin game on April 24 against the Southern Shore Breakers. Depending on how they do the semi-finals will take place on April 26 and the finals on April 27.
“We’ve got a good system built heading into the tournament. We’re going to have to skate and we have some really great skaters who can dictate the pace of play,” he said.
“Ultimately it’s the buy-in from the team and we’ve got that.”