Late rally falls short for Griffins in 3-1 loss at Manitoba
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
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0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Team Stats
Manitoba
| Game Statistics | MacEwan University | Manitoba |
|---|---|---|
| PowerPlays | 0 for 4 | 1 for 2 |
| Shorthanded Goals | 0 | 0 |
| Penalties (min) | 3 (6) | 4 (10) |
| Shots on Goal | 13 | 36 |
| Face Offs Won | 0 | 0 |
Jefferson Hagen
MacEwan Athletics
WINNIPEG, Man. – A prayer from the opposing ringette line into an empty net 161 feet away ended the MacEwan Griffins' rally attempt with 1:40 left on Saturday afternoon.
It was like the air going out of a balloon as the Griffins were charging at the time in a bid for their second-straight rally of the weekend series, but fell short, losing 3-1.
"At the end of the day, we pulled our goalie and I think this is the first time this year we've been scored on with an empty net," said Griffins head coach Chris Leeming.
With the result, the Griffins fall to 5-15-2 with their playoff hopes hanging on by a thread (11 points behind Trinity Western for the last spot in the West Division with six games to go).
"To a certain degree we got in our own way a little bit," said Leeming. "It's a lesson to be learned at the end of the day for us. When we were focused and playing the way we're capable of playing, we're doing a lot of good stuff – creating offensive chances, defending well, transitioning well."
Manitoba improves to 8-9-5 and are now just one point back of Saskatchewan for the final playoff spot in the East Division.
Just like in Friday's game, the Bisons went up 2-0 on the Griffins after second-period goals from Julia Bird and Alyssa Rasmuson. But unlike Friday when MacEwan rallied back for a 3-2 win, they could only get one back.
That came with 8:17 left in the third period when Shaelyn Hopkins' point shot ticked off traffic in front and went five hole on Bisons goaltender Jenna Goertzen.
"We got the puck back to her and she was able to get a shot off pretty quickly," said Leeming. "We had some traffic at the net front, which is part of our game plan, and we got rewarded for it. It was nice to see we were able to execute that with some of the pieces we've been working on."
GOAL��
— MacEwan Griffins Women's Hockey (@GriffinsWHKY) January 24, 2026
Shaelyn Hopkins' point shot hits off traffic in front and slips through the five hole to get the @MacEwanGriffins on the board!
Late in the third, they trail @umbisons 2-1.#GriffNation pic.twitter.com/mNZhrNLZTq
Manitoba's Louise Fergusson hit an empty net from her own ringette line to ice it with 1:40 left.
For the first time this season, Taya Currie started a second-straight game and was again the difference. After stopping 40/42 shots on Friday, she saved 33/35 Saturday.
That's a save percentage of .948 for the weekend, which ups her overall number to .930 – tied for eighth in Canada West, but none of the other top goalies have faced as many shots as she has.
"She was great," said Leeming. "She held us in the games, for sure, and made some key saves. When we had any sort of defensive breakdown, as I've said about our goalies all year, they've given us confidence to be able to play the game we want to play.
"She was pretty solid for us this weekend and that's the first time she's started back-to-back games for us, for sure, and probably in three years for herself. It was a good test for her, and I thought she did very well."
The Griffins will next return to Edmonton for their first home series of 2026 when they welcome the UBC Thunderbirds to the Downtown Community Arena on Jan. 30-31.
