Playing in all situations as a rookie, Howes demonstrating poise, confidence on Griffins' blueline
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
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1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
Team Stats
Trinity Western
| Game Statistics | Trinity Western | MacEwan University |
|---|---|---|
| PowerPlays | 0 for 1 | 0 for 1 |
| Shorthanded Goals | 0 | 0 |
| Penalties (min) | 1 (2) | 1 (2) |
| Shots on Goal | 29 | 25 |
| Face Offs Won | 0 | 0 |
Jefferson Hagen
MacEwan Athletics
EDMONTON – Already averaging 21 minutes a game and playing in all situations as a rookie, Marley Howes' potential is sky high for the MacEwan Griffins women's hockey team.
The Dunmore, Alta. product is showing increased confidence, which was on full display against U SPORTS No. 1 UBC last weekend.
"She's somebody who's really poised with the puck, makes a lot of head's up plays, joins the rush offensively for us," said Griffins head coach Chris Leeming. "She plays power play and penalty kill – she kind of plays in all situations as a first year, which is really impressive.
"Pressure doesn't seem to get to her very often. There are a number of examples against UBC where she was on the ice against their top line and she was facing that head on, making plays against them, defending the plays that they're trying to make.
"I think she's just a really cerebral player overall, reads the game exceptionally well and puts herself in good positions.
Howes will lead MacEwan into a weekend home series vs. Trinity Western (Friday, 7 p.m. and Saturday, 3 p.m., both Downtown Community Arena, Canada West TV). Friday's game will also be broadcast on Telus Optik TV.
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Howes spent the past three seasons with Southern Alberta Hockey Academy in the CSSHL and was named to the league's U18 Prep second all-star team in 2024-25 after producing 23 points in 30 games.
"It was super fun," she said of her U18 experience. "I got to live at home for the three years. It was a great experience, growing up with all those girls I played with and got to play with from Grade 10-12. Definitely memories I'll have forever."
This season, she has one assist for the Griffins in 24 games, but she's been excelling in her defensive game first. The points will come as she gains more U SPORTS experience. Her one assist did come against this weekend's opponent, Trinity Western, though, as Sydney Jack buried the rebound off her shot to give MacEwan a 2-1 victory back on Oct. 25.
GOAL��
— MacEwan Griffins Women's Hockey (@GriffinsWHKY) October 26, 2025
It's Sydney Jack on the rebound with a clutch goal that puts the @MacEwanGriffins ahead 2-1 with just 3:48 remaining!#GriffNation pic.twitter.com/0J9bEeENv7
"I've seen a big jump in her defensive game," said Leeming. "She's become more physical. Instead of just relying on having a good stick and body position, she's really embraced the physicality of our D zone coverage. It's starting to give her more time and space to be able to make plays and being more difficult to play against."
Physicality has been the biggest adjustment from the CSSHL level to U SPORTS and Howes is embracing the challenge.
"Our D zone is a lot of physicality," she said. "We're definitely one of the more physical teams in the league, so getting pins and bumps is one of our team goals, usually.
"I'm just getting used to that because I never really did that in the CSSHL. It's not a thing that's very common, but it's definitely common in this league."
As one of three rookies seeing regular minutes on the MacEwan blueline this season (alongside Jordan Brown and Ana Djordjevic), Howes is gaining terrific experience for the future when she will become one of the leaders of the blueline.
Marley Howes moves the puck under pressure in a game against UBC earlier this season (James Maclennan photo).
"For her to be able to get that type of experience in Year 1 is really going to have a positive impact on her career moving forward," said Leeming. "She's had the opportunity to make mistakes and learn from them. She takes the feedback that we give her and goes and applies it fairly quickly."
And it doesn't hurt that she's been able to learn from fifth-years Robyn Short and Sydney Olsen, who are set to graduate and pass the torch to Howes, Shaelyn Hopkins, Aspen Checknita, Brown, Djordjevic and Kali MacDonald next season.
"Their confidence and ability to skate the puck, I always watch," said Howes. "It's unreal. Syd Olsen's communication on the ice is always so good, and I definitely aspire to be more like that. They're just great leaders to look up to."
After this weekend, the Griffins have just two games left in the 2025-26 season – a home-and-home series against cross-town rival Alberta Feb. 13-14.
