Gaining confidence from solid UBC series, Griffins set for home-and-home vs. Alberta
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
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2 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
Team Stats
Alberta
| Game Statistics | Alberta | MacEwan University |
|---|---|---|
| PowerPlays | 1 for 4 | 0 for 4 |
| Shorthanded Goals | 1 | 0 |
| Penalties (min) | 4 (8) | 4 (8) |
| Shots on Goal | 32 | 28 |
| Face Offs Won | 0 | 0 |
Jefferson Hagen
MacEwan Athletics
EDMONTON – Confidence building was on full display for the Griffins in their season-opening series against UBC last weekend.
The top-ranked T-Birds were expected to walk all over them.
Didn't happen.
The Griffins lost 1-0 and 3-1 but were right there with them all the way, making it difficult on the defending Canada West silver medalists.
"That's one of our goals here over this block of games is to build confidence and execute our game measurables," said Griffins head coach Chris Leeming. "The level of physicality that we had in our game gives us more opportunities to turn over pucks and be more difficult to play against on the forecheck as well as shut down our opponents' offensive play in our D zone.
"That's a major piece that we took away from that. We want to make sure we bring consistent energy every shift for 60 minutes."
It doesn't get any easier this weekend as MacEwan goes from the frying pan into the fire, welcoming the defending Canada West champions in a home-and-home series vs. cross-town rival Alberta (Friday, 7 p.m., Downtown Community Arena, Canada West TV).
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"They're a great team over there and we want to make sure we respect that, but focus on what we're doing to prepare for that," said Leeming. "We really felt good overall about our game and built some confidence from last weekend against UBC.
"We're looking to take a step forward from that."
MacEwan is getting solid goaltending to start the season with both Taya Currie (22 saves on 23 shots Oct. 3) and Lindsey Johnson (30 saves on 33 shots Oct. 4) making a difference so far.
"From both games, our goalies really stepped up and kept us in and made some great saves," said Leeming. "hat's something we're excited about this year is we think we've got three really great goaltenders who can compete and play at this level. It's a good problem to have, I guess."
The other standout was the play of "rookie" Megan Dolynchuk, who scored her first career goal last Saturday after missing her entire rookie season in 2024-25 with an injury.
"Doly's just getting back into playing more confidence games this year," said Leeming. "She only had the opportunity to play preseason last year before injuring her ankle. She stepped in and she's definitely doing a lot of great things for us, which is what we were excited about when she committed to us. Just like anybody, there's still lots of room for growth, but that's the exciting part. She's already been great for us."
Leeming also pointed to captain Sydney Olsen and assistants Kori Paterson, Robyn Short and Shaelyn Hopkins as difference makers for the team so far.
"We think our leadership group has really stepped up in a lot of areas on the ice, off the ice – Sydo, Kori, Rob, Hoppy," he said. "That was a big reason why we added (Hopkins) – all the intangible pieces that she brings on and off the ice for us and how competitive she is overall."
After Friday's game, MacEwan will cross the river to face Alberta again on Saturday (5 p.m., Clare Drake Arena, Canada West TV).
