Griffins run into hot goaltender early, end up chasing game in 6-0 rematch loss to UBC
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
1 | 3 | 2 | 6 |
|
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Team Stats
UBC
| Game Statistics | MacEwan University | UBC |
|---|---|---|
| PowerPlays | 0 for 3 | 1 for 4 |
| Shorthanded Goals | 0 | 0 |
| Penalties (min) | 3 (8) | 3 (6) |
| Shots on Goal | 20 | 36 |
| Face Offs Won | 0 | 0 |
MacEwan Athletics and UBC Athletics
VANCOUVER, B.C. – Just as they did a night earlier, the MacEwan Griffins looked to gain an early lead on the UBC Thunderbirds with tons of early pressure in the first period on Saturday.
Unfortunately, they ran into a hot goaltender.
Brett Mirwald set the tone with several brilliant saves early for UBC and the Griffins never could get on track, falling 6-0 in the rematch.
"I think we had some pressure early and their goalie made some big saves," said MacEwan head coach Zack Dailey. "We couldn't capitalize on some chances. Then they got rolling. They scored a couple goals there.
"I thought we did a decent job of handling adversity and not letting it get out of hand in the first period. But in the second period, there were just too many mistakes and not enough pressure on their goalie and their D. Again, the mistakes led to odd-man rushes and they capitalized on their chances."
MacEwan had won 4-2 on Friday, which means they still get a weekend split on the road against one of the top teams in Canada West. They'll take it.
"Certainly," said Dailey. "Getting points is what we're here to do. I think more importantly it's the process of how we're playing. I don't think we played terribly.
"There was definitely some good stuff tonight even. Our offensive zone play was the best it's looked so far this season. We have some positives to take away, but have a lot of work to do, for sure."
Rookie T-Bird forward Reilley Kotai scored what stood up as the game winning goal early in the first period and added another insurance marker in the third while 12 different UBC skaters found the scoresheet in a complete 60-minute effort.
Mirwald had a 20-save shutout for the T-Birds, while Carson Ironside made 30 saves for MacEwan.
While the Griffins had the mindset of gunning for a weekend sweep, it just didn't work out for them on Saturday.
"We talked before the game that good teams are able to close out weekends and get two results and not just one," said Dailey. "I thought our attitude going into the game was correct. We weren't satisfied with one and I thought our effort was there.
"It was just too many mental mistakes and too many mishandling of pucks. Hopefully we learn from this and know that we have to be at our best both nights if we want two wins."
The Griffins next return to Edmonton for a home-and-home series with cross-town rival Alberta on Oct. 10 (7 p.m., Clare Drake) and Oct. 11 (5 p.m., Downtown Community Arena, both Canada West TV).
