Griffins put forth strong effort despite cruel late first period momentum swing in 2-1 loss to Dinos
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
|
|
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Team Stats
Calgary
| Game Statistics | Calgary | MacEwan University |
|---|---|---|
| PowerPlays | 1 for 3 | 1 for 1 |
| Shorthanded Goals | 0 | 0 |
| Penalties (min) | 2 (4) | 4 (8) |
| Shots on Goal | 27 | 22 |
| Face Offs Won | 0 | 0 |
Jefferson Hagen
MacEwan Athletics
EDMONTON – A dramatic momentum swing late in the first period was ultimately the difference in a tight, hard-fought Canada West women's hockey contest that ended in a 2-1 victory for the Calgary Dinos over the MacEwan Griffins on Thursday night.
The Griffins thought they'd scored to tie the game 1-1 during a wild net-front scramble with 1:25 left in the opening frame when Karington Mollin's shot went off the post, off the goalie and was dribbling over the line before Amelia Awad covered it with her glove.
An overhead view showed her glove almost entirely in the net, but it was waved off by the official, nonetheless. Had it stood, however, it's possible MacEwan could have been called for goaltender interference on the play anyway, so it is what it is.
But the momentum swing was cruel to the home team as Calgary went down and scored what would stand up as the game-winner 42 seconds later.
"That's just the way it goes sometimes," said Griffins head coach Chris Leeming. "You can't control those things. What I liked from our team is they didn't focus on it; they didn't dwell on it.
"It was an unfortunate swing of momentum, but that was one of the pieces we really appreciated with the girls tonight is they didn't quit because of something like that. It's easy to get deflated by that kind of momentum swing, but they didn't. They pushed back."
So close!@MacEwanGriffins thought they'd scored off the stick of Karington Mollin late in the first when @UCDinos goaltender Amelia Awad appeared to cover the puck over the line, but it wasn't definitive enough & was waved off.
— MacEwan Griffins Women's Hockey (@GriffinsWHKY) October 31, 2025
Calgary leads 2-0 after 20 minutes.#GriffNation pic.twitter.com/lH1FfSRtvf
In the end, the effort was impressive from the Griffins as they clawed back to within a goal and came close on a few other chances to tie it.
"In the bigger picture, we've struggled a little bit in the first games of the weekend and there's a little bit more we can build off of in that game for our game tomorrow," said Leeming. "It's definitely better than what we've been doing in the first game of weekend series."
The teams will meet again on Friday night in Calgary (6 p.m., Canada West TV). The Dinos improved to 6-3-0 with the win, while MacEwan dropped to 1-7-1.
Sydney Mercier scored both first period goals for the Dinos, the first coming off a gorgeous play where she created a breakaway blueline in with her speed and deked out Lindsey Johnson, going back bar down – a goal that was in and out so quickly it almost looked like it went off the crossbar.
Mercier was also the author of the aforementioned 2-0 goal, chipping in a beautiful back door pass from Eden Carius with 43 seconds left in the first.
A two-goal deficit for MacEwan wasn't really deserved as they came out forechecking hard and had several first period shifts in the offensive zone but just couldn't get anything to go.
"That was one of our game keys," said Leeming. "We wanted to forecheck hard and make sure we can disrupt because they try to change sides, get it up ice, slash across and get us back on our heels a little bit. So, we didn't want to just back; we wanted to meet that challenge and shut it down at the source.
"When we did it, it usually ended up as a turnover and scoring chance for us. When we didn't do it, they generated some offensive chances against us.
"I think having a willingness to win puck races and puck battles and be physical for 60 minutes is going to really benefit us. So, that's what we're looking to do tomorrow."
GOAL��
— MacEwan Griffins Women's Hockey (@GriffinsWHKY) October 31, 2025
Megan Dolynchuk scores off her own rebound on the powerplay after tipping Jordan Brown's shot on goal and puts the @MacEwanGriffins on the board!
With 12:14 remaining, it's 2-1 for the @UCDinos.#GriffNation pic.twitter.com/iPXwKY0kW4
The Griffins finally hit the scoresheet with 12:14 left in the contest as Jordan Brown's powerplay point shot was tipped by Megan Dolynchuk on Awad before she put the rebound in.
"Get it to the net, get it down, make sure I tip it and don't miss the net," said Dolynchuk of her focus on the play, which was her team-leading third goal of the season.
"It's so fun," she added of regularly playing a net-front game. "Right before that goal, I got a couple hits in the back, but I'll take it."
Rian Santos had a golden chance to tie it with a hot shot from the slot with 5:30 left, but Awad made a fantastic blocker side save with her stick shaft.
Awad finished with 21 saves for Calgary, while Johnson had 25 stops for MacEwan.
Dolynchuk said the focus for tomorrow is getting more going earlier in the game.
"Bearing down earlier, getting more pucks to the net and in the net earlier, so we can set ourselves up better for the third," she said.
