Griffins score three late third period goals in less than two minutes to stun Huskies 3-2
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
|
|
0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
Team Stats
Saskatchewan
| Game Statistics | MacEwan University | Saskatchewan |
|---|---|---|
| PowerPlays | 0 for 3 | 0 for 4 |
| Shorthanded Goals | 0 | 0 |
| Penalties (min) | 4 (8) | 3 (6) |
| Shots on Goal | 13 | 25 |
| Face Offs Won | 0 | 0 |
Jefferson Hagen
MacEwan Athletics
SASKATOON, Sask. – Suddenly without warning, the Griffins' offence woke up late in the third period on Saturday, potting three goals in less than two minutes to stun the Saskatchewan Huskies 3-2.
It would have been hard to see it coming as through 40 minutes, MacEwan had mustered just four shots on goal.
But there they were celebrating a huge victory after the final whistle, a triumph that salvaged a weekend split with Saskatchewan and improved their spot in the Canada West women's hockey standings to 3-11-2, now just four points back of Alberta (4-6-4) for the final playoff spot in the West Division. The Huskies fall back to 6-4-2 after the loss.
"The first 40 minutes weren't really indicative of what we're capable of doing," said Griffins head coach Chris Leeming, whose team was also coming off a 10-shot 2-0 shutout loss to the Huskies a night earlier. "It just seemed like they decided they knew and that they had confidence in playing the way they're capable of. Taking pucks to the net, getting secondary chances, having an attack mindset, they really demonstrated that in the third period and it was fun to watch."
With the Huskies up 1-0 on a first period goal by Peppi Virtanen, the clock ticked down to just 5:47 left in the third period before the Griffins finally lit the lamp as Sydney Jack's centring pass was tipped home by Allee Isley.
GOAL��
— MacEwan Griffins Women's Hockey (@GriffinsWHKY) November 23, 2025
Alley Isley gets a touch on Sydney Jack's centring pass as the @MacEwanGriffins have tied the game 1-1 with 5:47 remaining vs. @HuskieWHKY.#GriffNation pic.twitter.com/soNpLugNTj
Just 1:16 later, Jack scored herself, potting a rebound off Kali MacDonald's point shot to put the Griffins up 2-1.
GOAL��
— MacEwan Griffins Women's Hockey (@GriffinsWHKY) November 23, 2025
Sydney Jack puts the @MacEwanGriffins out front, burying a rebound, as the Griffs have two goals in a span of 1:16! They're up 2-1 late of @HuskieWHKY.#GriffNation pic.twitter.com/9eXys9KCdP
Brimming with confidence, MacEwan continued to pour it on, scoring what would stand up as the winner just 39 seconds later when Kori Paterson swung hard out front and got a shot that spilled off Saskatchewan goaltender Emma Backman for Sasha Malenfant to slam past her.
GOAL��
— MacEwan Griffins Women's Hockey (@GriffinsWHKY) November 23, 2025
More strong net-front play late in the third by the @MacEwanGriffins leads to Sasha Malenfant putting them up 3-1!#GriffNation pic.twitter.com/jKUFGPj6GQ
The Huskies got one back late when Kendra Zuchotski made it interesting, scoring with 53 seconds remaining, but MacEwan hung on for the win.
It was a special moment for Griffins goaltender Mikayla Christmann, who was swarmed by her teammates after making 23 saves for the win in her first start of the season … in her hometown, no less. The Warman, Sask. native was full marks for the victory.
"That was a really cool moment for her," said Leeming. "She played a really solid game. It was 1-0 for most of the game there. They hit a post and it kind of snuck in behind her, and we didn't pick up sticks, and they buried a rebound. She made the saves she needed to make and made a couple of great ones.
"She was beaming from ear to ear. She's such a great kid and works hard. We've been talking about that all year how strong our goaltending has been. She came in for her first game of the year near the end of November and was able to pull together a game like that. So, I'm really happy for her. It's a testament to the work she's done so far this year."
VICTORY
— MacEwan Griffins Women's Hockey (@GriffinsWHKY) November 23, 2025
Mikayla Christmann gets some hugs after making 23 saves on 25 shots in her first start of the season (in her hometown, to boot), leading the @MacEwanGriffins to a 3-2 win over @HuskieWHKY.#GriffNation pic.twitter.com/QS6PlaASDu
Christmann was also a part of the Griffins' penalty kill going 4-for-4 on Saturday (and they went 11-for-11 over the weekend) against the top powerplay in Canada West.
"We took away their strength and found a way to win a game," said Leeming. "She was a big part of that tonight."
Entering the contest with a conference-low 11 goals for in 15 games, the offensive floodgates of the third period came about by the Griffins doing exactly what their coaching staff has been trying to get them to do all season – crash the net more.
"Through 40 minutes, we only had four or five shots, so definitely not ideal in any world," said Leeming. "But we got a bunch of shots on them in the final 20 minutes there and really put the pressure on them, forechecked hard, made them have to make plays under pressure and create turnovers, and got rewarded for it. So, it was nice to see that. They bought into what we were talking about and got rewarded for it."
Now the challenge is to carry that forward. To ultimately have success, the Griffins need to play like that for 60 minutes, not just in a small window.
"That's the key," said Leeming. "We demonstrated that we are capable of doing it for 20 minutes and we've got to copy and paste that and expand it out for a whole 60.
"This is what we've been preaching to them the whole season, just believing in what they're capable of, and just going out and doing it. It's not easy. At the end of the day, that's the challenge in this league. It's really competitive every night and I think if we can play that way consistently for 60 minutes game in and game out, we're going to put ourselves in a much better position."
MacEwan heads into a bye weekend before returning to action against Alberta on Dec. 5-6.
