Three Stars: Obasuyi, Epp, Sank earn honours
MacEwan Athletics
EDMONTON – Women's basketball student-athlete Unity Obasuyi is the MacEwan Athletics' first star of the week after scoring 42 points over a two-game series at Winnipeg.
Obasuyi led the Griffins with 22 points on Friday and 20 on Saturday as they pushed the Wesmen in two close games.
Men's hockey goaltender Brett Epp and women's hockey goaltender Brianna Sank are the second and third stars, respectively.
All three are making their second appearance of the season in the Three Stars. Obasuyi was previously named second star on Nov. 5, Epp was also third star on Oct. 1 and Sank previously cracked the list as the second star on Nov. 12.
Unity Obasuyi led the Griffins with 42 points in two games against the Winnipeg Wesmen last weekend (David Larkins photo).
1st STAR: Unity Obasuyi, F, women's basketball
Edmonton, AB, second-year, Commerce
Obasuyi led a big effort from the Griffins women's basketball team in Winnipeg on the weekend with 42 combined points in an eye-opening series where MacEwan nearly stunned the Wesmen.
In Friday's 72-67 loss, MacEwan was within a point in the final minute before the home team closed it out. Obasuyi finished with a team-high 22 points, seven rebounds, three steals, two assists and a block.
In Saturday's 66-57 defeat, the forward was again the Griffins' leading scorer with 20 points, adding five rebounds, three assists, two block and a steal.
Obasuyi has scored at least 20 points in three of her six games so far this season and is up to a 14.8 points/game average – ninth best in Canada West.
The Griffins will host the Brandon Bobcats on Friday (12 p.m.) for a 'School Day' contest, and also on Saturday (3 p.m., both David Atkinson Gym, Canada West TV).
Griffins goaltender Brett Epp stopped 59 of 63 shots he faced over two games against Regina last weekend (Rebecca Chelmick photo).
2nd STAR: Brett Epp, G, men's hockey
Edmonton, AB, fifth-year, Arts
Returning from an injury to play for the first time since Oct. 5, Epp was outstanding in leading the Griffins to three of a possible four points in a weekend series against Regina.
The veteran goaltender stopped 59 of 63 shots he faced for a .937 save percentage in the series.
In Friday's 4-2 win, he was a difference maker, stopping 26 of 28 shots as the Griffins dominated on special teams but were outplayed 5-on-5.
In Saturday's 3-2 shootout loss, Epp stopped 33 of 35 as MacEwan was outshot and outplayed, becoming the biggest reason why the Griffins picked up a point in the contest.
For the season, Epp's numbers now sit at a 3.41 GAA and .899 save percentage.
The Griffins will travel to Saskatoon this weekend for a road series at the Saskatchewan Huskies on Friday (6 p.m. MT) and Saturday (4 p.m. MT, both Canada West TV).
Goaltender Brianna Sank stares down Paige Hubbard in the shootout on Saturday. She stopped 20 of 21 shots and prevailed in the shootout as the Griffins won 2-1 (Jayna Stoudt photo).
3rd STAR: Brianna Sank, G, women's hockey
Ardrossan, AB, fifth-year, Arts
It was a special night for Sank on Saturday when, with 3:04 remaining in the first period, she broke the program's all-time record for the most regular season minutes played.
Playing in Regina against the Cougars, Sank passed Sandy Heim – who recorded 4,184:11 minutes between 2015-19 – and now sits at 4,232:16 for her career, which began in 2019.
The icing on the cake was her solid performance, stopping 20 of 21 shots (.952 save percentage) and another in the shootout to lead the Griffins to a 2-1 victory over the Cougars.
For the season, Sank has a 2.25 GAA and .927 save percentage, both top 10 numbers in the conference.
The Griffins are back home this weekend as they host Saskatchewan on Friday (7 p.m.) and Saturday (5 p.m., both Downtown Community Arena, Canada West TV).
