Strong effort undermined by a couple untimely mistakes results in Griffins' 5-2 loss to Huskies
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | T |
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0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
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1 | 1 | 3 | 5 |
Team Stats
Saskatchewan
| Game Statistics | Saskatchewan | MacEwan University |
|---|---|---|
| PowerPlays | 1 for 4 | 1 for 4 |
| Shorthanded Goals | 0 | 0 |
| Penalties (min) | 4 (11) | 4 (8) |
| Shots on Goal | 34 | 31 |
| Face Offs Won | 0 | 0 |
Jason Hills
For MacEwan Athletics
EDMONTON – The MacEwan Griffins men's hockey team can check off a lot of boxes of things they did well against the Saskatchewan Huskies on Saturday – but a few ill-timed mistakes cost them dearly.
Down 2-1 entering the third, MacEwan made a few unforced mistakes, trying to score the equalizer, and the Huskies scored three times in the third period to win 5-2 on Saturday night at the Downtown Community Arena.
Kaydn Chabot led the Griffins with two points (1g, 1a) and Caden Cabana chipped in with two assists, while Vincent Scott tallied the other marker in the loss for MacEwan as they fell to 6-8-1-1 this season.
Chase Bertholet scored twice, including the game-winner while Dawson Holt also scored two tallies, while Carter Stebbings rounded out the scoring in the Huskies win.
"I was really happy with our effort tonight," said Griffins head coach Zack Dailey.
"We competed and did a lot of stuff well. In the third period, we deviated from what made us successful for a couple shifts and it bit us every time.
"It's a learning curve for our guys that when we're behind and trying to catch up, there's a way to do it, and a way to not, and forcing stuff and creating odd-man rushes is not the way to do it."
The night didn't start well for MacEwan as they fell behind 1-0, just 13 seconds into the contest when Bertholet got open in the slot off the rush and scored his second goal of the season, beating rookie netminder Zac Onyskiw.
But MacEwan didn't unravel; they pushed hard in the opening frame and while they didn't score, they pushed back and had the Huskies on their heels for a good portion of the first period, outshooting the visitors 15-8.
The Griffins power play has struggled immensely in recent weeks, but it's what got them back into the game when Scott scored his third of the season to tie the game at 1-1 at the 7:46 mark of the middle frame.
After MacEwan tied it, the Huskies started to put more pressure on the Griffins, but Onyskiw came up with some big stops. His best save was a cross-crease toe save off Raphael Pelletier midway through the third.
With injuries hitting the Griffins crease, Onyskiw made his second-straight start and third in the last four games, and he was solid, despite the loss, making 29 stops.
"It's disappointing, especially in the third. You have to feel bad for Ony too.He's been battling between the pipes for us, and he's a rookie goalie, and he's played unbelievably for us the last few games he's played," said Chabot.
Zac Onyskiw makes a save under pressure from Saskatchewan's Cade Hayes on Saturday (Rebecca Chelmick photo).
Saskatchewan took the lead with 2:46 left when Holt helped force a turnover and then snapped a quick shot from the slot that snuck between the arm and blocker of Onyskiw.
The Huskies began the third with a power play, and it didn't take long for them to extend their lead. Just 23 seconds in, Bethelot got a piece of a shot through traffic to give Saskatchewan a 3-1 lead.
But MacEwan wouldn't back down, as Chabot would make it a one-goal game less than two minutes later when he ripped a shot from the top left faceoff circle that beat Huskies goaltender Jordan Kooy over the shoulder.
But they couldn't find that all-important equalizer.
"We don't panic, and we always try to battle through it," said Chabot.
"We've been struggling to score lately, and we just have to keep grinding and shooting, and I believe the goals will eventually come."
Holt restored the Huskies two-goal lead just over five minutes later when they forced a turnover at the blueline and created a two-on-one. Holt buried a Landon Kosior feed to make it 4-2 and then just 1:11 later they made it 5-2 and out of reach.
"They won the championship last year, and they're nationally ranked again this year. That's what happens when you give teams good opportunities; they're going to score on you," said Dailey.
"It's not like we were giving up shots from the outside; we were giving up two-on-ones and shots in the heart of the ice, and you can't do that, especially in tight games.
"We can certainly take some really good things from this game, but at the end of the day, we didn't get the job done."
The Griffins head into a bye week before returning to action Dec. 5-6 vs. Alberta.
