Austin Connelly, For MacEwan Athletics

EDMONTON – Unable to finish their title defence seasons due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Griffins hockey teams will move to Canada West next season having left their mark on the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference with a clean sweep of six combined championships over the past three campaigns.

Both teams were unable to finish the chase for fourth-straight ACAC championships as the men's side were set to play Red Deer College in the semi-finals, while the women were up 2-0 over NAIT in the best-of-five championship series before games were cancelled.

Each team will leave the ACAC with four championships apiece with the women adding their first in the 2007-08 season and the men capturing their first title back in 2003-04 before both won the 2016-17, 2017-18 and 2018-19 banners.

Next season, both Griffins hockey teams will play in the Canada West conference.

Although their chapters ended unexpectedly, head coaches Mike Ringrose and Lindsay McAlpine reflect fondly on their team's tenure in the ACAC.

Ringrose inherited the 2016-17 championship team from head coach Bram Stephen and led the next group of players to two consecutive league titles.

"It's a mountain to climb to get to the top, and then it is extremely difficult to stay there," says Ringrose. "Those are kind of two different stories, the first one they pushed hard, and they climbed that mountain and then the last three years we have pushed our program and pushed the players within it to the point where I felt like we were expecting to win every night. And we were determined to get the results and I think it paid off."

Ringrose was disappointed that this young group including 13 rookies couldn't finish off the season, but is excited to take the group to Canada West next season.

"I mean, the ACAC is an incredible League, it's an underrated brand of hockey in my mind and

it's a difficult league to win," explains Ringrose. "We have fond memories of our time playing in the league as a program and it's a little bit bittersweet. I mean, we're definitely excited and happy to be moving to U SPORTS but we're leaving behind some fond memories and rivalries, and those things are hard to say goodbye.

"So yes, we're excited but certainly have a ton of respect for the for the teams and the programs that that make up the ACAC and the level of play that that that that league puts forward on a nightly basis."

Fifth-year graduating goaltender Marc-Olivier Daigle wasn't able to finish out his final season on his own terms, but he still recognizes how special it was to be a Griffin for all those seasons.

"Well, the first thing that comes to mind is that the league is a very good league," says Daigle. "It's league that allows a player to obviously go to school, get a good education and play at a higher level of hockey and I think it's the league that people can benefit from going to watch. I think it should get a little bit more attention that it does right now just because of how good the level of hockey is.

"What I take out of that is obviously, three championships we've had at MacEwan during my time there and the connection and the friendship that I've built over the years with teammates and coaches and staff members," he adds. "It's just great for to reflect and I'm thankful I was able to be a part of that. I think for three years we were all different, but it was something special every year and really great to be part of those three teams."

Morgan Casson skates against NAIT during Game 2 of the 2019-20 ACAC Championship at NAIT Arena (Len Joudrey photo).

For women's hockey head coach McAlpine, who took over the program in 2010, she remembers challenges in their early years, which included players only staying for two seasons and having no home rink before the Downtown Community Arena was built.

"Us moving into the arena in close proximity to MacEwan University, we have a home and an identity and a place that connected to the NHL in the pro world and the WHL has been a significant change for us," says McAlpine. "Starting out, I think in my first five years, we were in four different arenas and always a different practice arena to a game arena. I liked to call us a traveling roadshow back then."

McAlpine stresses the importance of being able to recruit players to play for five years was a huge factor in their maintained success over the past four seasons, including a number of record-breaking statistics this year. Shifting to U SPORTS next season will be business as usual for her coaching staff and the players as they exit the ACAC.

"I don't think that the core of our program or the intentions behind our mission each day is going to shift at all in what you saw from the Griffins in the ACAC. You'll see a very similar team with the same core identity pieces in Canada West," explains McAlpine. "So, what I would finally say to the ACAC is I hope that league continues to prosper and become as exceptional as it can be."

The Griffins were just a win away from becoming the first team in ACAC history to win four-straight titles before the championship series was cancelled.

McAlpine was grateful for the group of players she was able to coach for the past five seasons who are finished their university playing careers.

"A huge thank you to that fifth year group, your team continues to drive success by those leaders and all of our six players that we lose this year, exemplified all of our Griffin key identity pieces and moving our program into championship program that it was across the ACAC. So, I would say thank you to them again."

One of those fifth-year players was Morgan Casson, who donned the captaincy in her final season.

"I think besides not being able to claim the championship title this year, we had such an incredible season we still broke all many records," says Casson. "I think this was one of the most solid groups we've ever had in Griffin history. We just have so much depth so much commitment, dedication, we're so consistent this season. We have a lot to be proud of so, we should walk away holding our heads high.

"All of my best memories I think I have so far in my life, majority of them come from these five years. I'm really happy about the decision I made to come to MacEwan, I think it was the best decision I could have made in that time," she adds. "I've learned so much from the program, I'm taking so much from it. Lindsay always says it's more important that you leave being a better person than you came in and I think I definitely have grown into a better person and better leader through it."

Without getting the chance for their storybook endings for players and coaches alike, the Griffins leave a legacy in the ACAC that goes beyond on ice success and memories that was last them a lifetime.