Home Preview: Inaugural basketball 'School Day'; WHKY hosts Saskatchewan
Jefferson Hagen
MacEwan Athletics
EDMONTON – Hundreds of kids will be pumped up and ready to cheer when the Griffins take on the Brandon Bobcats in the inaugural 'School Day' game for the MacEwan basketball teams on Friday afternoon.
The David Atkinson Gym is expected to be packed for the doubleheader, which will feature the women's game at 12 p.m. and men's at 2 p.m.
"I've done it at other places, but haven't ever done it at MacEwan," said Griffins men's basketball head coach Mike Connolly, who previously coached at the University of Lethbridge. "It's a great fun event, but we're worried about playing basketball.
"I think they'll have a great experience, and our students will see the kids and feel good and play. It is a good experience, but our focus is just playing and trying to get the wins."
The teams will meet again on Saturday with the contest being the Griffins' Toy Drive event (bring a toy to get in free, with donations going to the Salvation Army).
Over at the Downtown Community Arena, the Griffins women's hockey team is welcoming the Saskatchewan Huskies for a pair of games with Saturday's contest again being a Toy Drive game.
Read more on each matchup below.
MEN'S BASKETBALL
On Tap
Friday: vs. Brandon, 2 p.m., David Atkinson Gym, Canada West TV
Saturday: vs. Brandon, 5 p.m., David Atkinson Gym, Canada West TV
PURCHASE TICKETS FOR FRIDAY HERE
BRING A TOY TO GET IN FREE ON SATURDAY (Donations to the Salvation Army)
Standings
MacEwan: 0-6 – T9th Prairie Division
Brandon: 2-6 – 8th Prairie Division
Last meeting
Jan. 14, 2024: Brandon 81 at MacEwan 72
Last game
Nov. 23: MacEwan 56 at Winnipeg 88
Nov. 23: Alberta 59 at Brandon 78
Mike Connolly's coach's quote:
"They're a free-flowing team and they play well together," he said of Brandon. "They've had some struggles, but they've had some good games, too, just like us. I think we match up pretty well with them.
"We're a little depleted with some injuries, but we'll get through and we've got some guys prepared, so we'll step up and play. I think if we defend, we're going to be in a good situation and I'm sure their coach is telling them the same thing. It should be two pretty good close teams. We'll see what happens."
Players to watch
MacEwan: Job Janda – The Griffins' captain was their best player in their last outing, scoring 20 of their 56 points at U SPORTS No. 6 Winnipeg. When Janda is at his best, he leads with intensity on both ends of the court, something the Griffins will need to shut down the Bobcats.
Brandon: Dwayne Thompson – The hottest player around had 31 points in the Bobcats' upset win over the Alberta Golden Bears last Saturday after entering the game averaging just 10.71 points/game through the Bobcats' first seven contests. Thompson went a ridiculous 6-for-9 on threes as Brandon beat the Bears by 19 points.
Notable
Milan Jaksic recently tied the program record for career double doubles in Canada West play with five and needs one more to pass Ryan May (2014-16) and Matthew Osunde (2021-24) … Brandon's Sultan Haider Bhatti is third in Canada West in scoring, averaging 20.4 points/game.
The Griffins are fresh off a win in Regina as they look to carry the momentum into a weekend series vs. Saskatchewan (Calvin Hui photo).
WOMEN'S HOCKEY
On Tap
Friday: vs. Saskatchewan, 7 p.m., Downtown Community Arena, Canada West TV
Saturday: vs. Saskatchewan, 5 p.m., Downtown Community Arena, Canada West TV
Standings
MacEwan: 2-10-2 – 4th East Division
Saskatchewan: 0-10-4 – 5th East Division
PURCHASE TICKETS FOR FRIDAY HERE
BRING A TOY TO GET IN FREE ON SATURDAY (Donations to the Salvation Army)
Last meeting
Jan. 20, 2024: MacEwan 1 at Saskatchewan 2
Last game
Nov. 23: MacEwan 2 at Regina 1 (SO)
Nov. 23: Alberta 2 at Saskatchewan 1
Chris Leeming's coach's quote:
"(Our win last Saturday) left us feeling good. It was a big game start to finish. Goaltending was a big factor in that. I thought our compete and execution of our game plan was pretty solid, as well. We're going to copy and paste that and look to do it for 60 minutes Friday and Saturday, taking one shift at a time.
"I know that they're a well-coached team over there. We've got to show up. We've talked about it before, it doesn't matter who we play, we need to focus on executing our game plan and spending our energy in the right areas."
Players to watch
MacEwan: Kori Paterson – The Griffins' leading scorer with six points in 14 games had a goal and an assist in MacEwan's two-game series at Regina last weekend. Her net-front goal tied Saturday's game and forced overtime before MacEwan won in a shootout.
Saskatchewan: Bronwyn Boucher – A key veteran voice on the rebuilding Huskies, the fourth-year forward leads the team in scoring with three goals and six points in 14 games. She had an assist in last Saturday's game against Alberta.
Notable
Saskatchewan hasn't won yet in 2024-25, but have been involved in a number of close games, including going to overtime against Regina, Mount Royal and Manitoba and losing in a shootout to Alberta earlier this season … MacEwan is coming off a huge win over Regina last Saturday where Claire Hobbs and Jennifer Andrash scored in a shootout to deliver victory … Saskatchewan is one of two teams MacEwan has never beaten since joining Canada West in 2021, with Alberta being the other.
