Scoring woes continue as Johnson's 29-save effort goes unrewarded in Griffins' 1-0 loss to Cougars
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|
|
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Team Stats
Regina
| Game Statistics | Regina | MacEwan University |
|---|---|---|
| PowerPlays | 0 for 4 | 0 for 1 |
| Shorthanded Goals | 0 | 0 |
| Penalties (min) | 1 (2) | 4 (8) |
| Shots on Goal | 30 | 28 |
| Face Offs Won | 0 | 0 |
Jefferson Hagen
MacEwan Athletics
EDMONTON – The margins are so small for the snake-bitten MacEwan Griffins women's hockey team.
They played a very solid defensive game on Saturday until one mistake in the third period – a small 10-second moment they'd want back off a lost board battle and lax gap control – led to a 1-0 loss to the Regina Cougars.
Regina's Brooke Fofonoff took a pass from Bailey McMaster after she emerged out of a battle at the Griffins' blueline, walked unfettered into the slot and wired it past Lindsey Johnson for the only goal of the proceedings.
"It comes down to maybe one mistake on our behalf," said Griffins head coach Chris Leeming. "We can play a pretty strong game for 60 minutes and one mistake, it ends up in the back of our net, and we lose by a goal. It's frustrating, for sure. The team's getting frustrated a bit, as well.
"Our goal is to not be discouraged and continue to move forward. We know what we need to do here and it's just a matter of going and doing it as a group together."
With the result, the Griffins fall to 2-8-2 on the season, while Regina improves to 5-3-2.
As much as it was one hiccup that cost the Griffins a goal against, the overlying culprit is a lack of scoring. Unfortunately, for the fifth time this season, they were blanked on the scoreboard as their league-low 0.83 goals/game average continues to shrink.
"There were definitely parts of our game that we want to be better at after that," said Leeming of the loss. "We've been in a lot of tight games, and I think it's coming down to our scoring. We're not putting the puck in the back of the net enough."
On Saturday, Regina's Amy Swayze stopped all 28 shots she faced and didn't really have to work that hard at it. Most were from the perimeter.
"We talked about that," said Leeming of just not generating enough high-danger chances. "It's just a matter of being more intentional with that when we're preparing at practice. Having a mindset that we're not going to be denied when we get those opportunities.
"There have been a handful of chances we've had every game where we haven't been able to execute and put them in the back of the net."
Two of the Griffins' best chances came in the third period. Midway through, rookie Jayda Becker spun around in the slot and whipped a low shot just wide of the left post.
Then, in the dying seconds, Megan Dolynchuk got a golden attempt in tight that Swayze parried away with her shoulder.
SHUT DOWN
— MacEwan Griffins Women's Hockey (@GriffinsWHKY) November 9, 2025
Lindsey Johnson sprawls out to deny a breakaway attempt from @ReginaCougars' Brooke Fofonoff.
Johnny has 19 saves through 40 minutes as @MacEwanGriffins are locked in a scoreless draw.#GriffNation pic.twitter.com/ZeGOx5hzsp
The bright spot for the Griffins was again the play of their goaltender as this time it was Johnson coming up with a spectacular performance, stopping 29 of 30 shots. Perhaps her signature save of the evening was stopping Fofonoff on a second-period breakaway.
"There was that one save she made that I saw their bench react," said Leeming. "They couldn't believe she kept it out of the net. So, that was a good moment for her.
"She's continuing to put forth good games every time she's been in the net for us. I'm proud of her. She's worked really hard and earned these opportunities. As a fourth year, she shows up every day, she's one of the most prepared people on our team and she's starting to reap the benefits of that. It's great to see her play some hockey games and give us opportunities to win. She's definitely playing very well for us."
The Griffins next head out on the road, visiting UBC for a pair of contests Nov. 14-15.
