Jefferson Hagen
MacEwan Athletics
EDMONTON – With two wins in their last three games, the MacEwan Griffins women's hockey team is manufacturing a stretch drive they can be proud of, even if the 2024-25 season will end without a playoff berth.
They beat Manitoba 2-0 in their last home game on Jan. 25 and then split a road series at Saskatchewan last weekend, winning 3-2 in a shootout last Saturday.
Building off some strong recent play, the Griffins are hoping to keep things rolling in a home-and-home series against Calgary this weekend.
"We just need to maintain that momentum," said head coach Chris Leeming. "There has been some execution of our systems and our offensive play. We've started to score some goals, so we want to build off that and move that part of our game forward."
Also at home this weekend are MacEwan's basketball teams as they host Manitoba on Friday and Saturday, while men's hockey hosts Calgary on Saturday (5 p.m., Downtown Community Arena).
With Senior Day celebrations for both men's basketball and men's hockey, look for features ahead of those games, so included in this home preview are capsules on women's hockey and women's basketball.
WOMEN'S HOCKEY
On Tap
Friday: vs. Calgary, 7 p.m., Downtown Community Arena, Canada West TV
Saturday: at Calgary, 6 p.m., Canada West TV
Last meeting
Jan. 6, 2024: MacEwan 0 at Calgary 4
Last game
Feb. 1: MacEwan 3 at Saskatchewan 2 (SO)
Feb. 1: Calgary 2 at Mount Royal 5
2024-25 records
MacEwan (4-17-3): 5th East Division
Calgary (7-15-2): 4th West Division
Chris Leeming's coach's quote:
"We haven't seen them since back in September. We played one exhibition game against them (a 2-1 Griffins' win in Calgary on Sept. 14). I'm sure they've made strides in their game, as we have. The girls set a goal to beat our win total from last year and that's still on the table for us. We've got four games left. The biggest thing is we're competing for something for ourselves and continuing to build our game for next year because we're only losing two players to graduation – one goalie and one forward."
Players to watch
MacEwan: Jennifer Andrash – With six assists so far this season, she needs just one more in the Griffins' final four games to match the program's single Canada West season record, set by Makenna Schuttler in 2022-23. She's also within striking distance of Jesse Jack's program points record of 13 from last season. Andrash would need four points in MacEwan's final four games to match her.
Calgary: Brooklyn Anderson – With 10 goals and 13 points in 23 games, Anderson is the Dinos' leading scorer. Although she generates a good deal of her offence 5-on-5, Anderson is the Canada West leader in short-handed goals with three, so the Griffins will need to be aware of her on their powerplays.
Unity Obasuyi is eighth in the conference in scoring, averaging 15.1 points/game (Gerard Murray photo).
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
On Tap
Friday: vs. Manitoba, 5 p.m., David Atkinson Gym, Canada West TV
Saturday: vs. Manitoba, 3 p.m., David Atkinson Gym, Canada West TV
Last meeting
Jan. 28, 2023: MacEwan 56 at Manitoba 73
Last game
Feb. 1: Saskatchewan 91 at MacEwan 35
Feb. 1: Manitoba 67 at Winnipeg 77
2024-25 records
MacEwan (0-16): 10th Prairie Division
Manitoba (6-10): 7th Prairie Division
Katherine Adams' coach's quote:
"We've known that we're young with most second and third-year athletes and people have stepped into new roles this year. So, it's just been an opportunity for us to learn and grow, and build towards something not just for one year, but really a two or three-year project looking down the road.
"I think any time you play high-calibre teams like Saskatchewan, they help prepare you for any upcoming opponent. The pace at which Saskatchewan plays, their discipline and their ability to score in so many different ways, you really have to be on top of your game and find different ways to defend and problem solve very quickly. So, we're hoping we'll see some of the results of that this weekend in our ability to defend and play with a little bit of pace."
Players to watch
MacEwan: Unity Obasuyi – It's been an impressive season for the second-year forward, who enters the weekend eighth in Canada West with a 15.1 points/game average. Even against U SPORTS No. 2 Saskatchewan last weekend, she managed to score, recording 33 of the Griffins' 70 points in the series.
Manitoba: Anna Miko – The 6-foot-2 second-year forward is 10th in the conference in rebounds/game (7.6) and is also Manitoba's leading scorer (12.4 points/game – 19th in Canada West).
