Jefferson Hagen / MacEwan Athletics
EDMONTON – Hockey is a game defined by fortitude and battle, but the toughness required to park in front of the net, take lumber to the back and risk pucks to the teeth is next level.
With no fear, MacEwan Griffins forward Ryan Baskerville regularly muscles every ounce of his 6-foot-3, 195-pound frame to the hardest area on the ice – right in front of the opposing tendy.
From there, he does his damage, scoring the type of dirty goals that all winning teams crave and need. The fourth-year Edmonton product has five tallies through 14 games this Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference season (to go along with six assists) and sits fourth in Griffins' scoring.
"He's a bigger body and he understands how to use that effectively to create time and space for himself down low," said MacEwan interim head coach Michael Ringrose. "He can get underneath guys really well and isn't scared to get to the net and play that kind of greasy brand of hockey that you need to be successful."
Baskerville will lead the Griffins into their first action in six weeks when they face the SAIT Trojans in a home-and-home series (Friday in Calgary, 7 p.m. and Saturday, 6 p.m., Downtown Community Arena).
"I've kind of realized, even going back to junior, most of my offensive success is in front of the net, kind of scoring dirty goals like that," he said. "Obviously, I'm kind of a big guy, so it's a place where I can utilize my size.
"(I look up to) guys who made a living sitting in front of the net scoring goals. They look easy, but you've got to take a lot of punishment from defencemen."
Baskerville has long grown accustomed to being on the receiving end of all kinds of stick work, not just in hockey, but in lacrosse, where whacking and hacking are even more prevalent.
"In lacrosse, you're used to constantly getting hit or cross-checked with the stick," said Baskerville, who played that game at a high level into bantam when he made Team Alberta. "So, I guess sitting in front of the net and getting worked on is something I've been used to and kind of found it to be second nature."
Once a teammate of Dan Taylor – the 2016 rookie of the year for the Saskatchewan Rush of the National Lacrosse League – Baskerville admits he was even better at that sport, but found he had a greater passion to pursue hockey instead. Still, the cross-overs are prevalent, especially with the brand of puck that he plays.
When Baskerville initially hit the Alberta Junior Hockey League with the Spruce Grove Saints in 2011-12 – following in the footsteps of his father, who also played Tier II junior in B.C. and Saskatchewan – he was more of an energy player, not leaned upon for his offence.
It wasn't until his final year of junior in 2013-14 with the Grande Prairie Storm when the scoring production started to come (18 goals and 36 points in 57 games).
"I coached him a few years ago," said Ringrose, who was his bench boss in Spruce Grove. "It's funny. You learn a lot about players when you coach them, but players also change.
"He's a guy that since we parted ways a few years ago has really embraced that (front-of-the-net) role, has really defined himself as that type of hockey player. I was pleasantly surprised at how his game has evolved and how important a piece of the puzzle he is for us."
The Griffins (9-5-0-0) sit fourth in the ACAC standings with 18 points heading into the second half of the season – just a point back of both Red Deer and UAlberta-Augustana, who occupy second and third spots. MacEwan's weekend opponent, SAIT (8-4-1-1), also has 18 points and hold the hammer in the head-to-head matchup to date, beating the Griffins twice back in October.
"We weren't very happy with the way we started the first half," said Ringrose of those 4-0 and 4-3 setbacks on opening weekend. "Obviously, SAIT got the best of us, so we've certainly been looking forward to this weekend. We owe these guys, so we'll be ready."
While every team in the ACAC loop is in the same boat – trying to get back up to speed after a lengthy semester break layoff – the Griffins put themselves in a good spot to come out strong by returning to practice on Dec. 27.
"I think we have a little bit of an advantage there – maybe two or three ice times more than some of the other teams," said Baskerville. "It was nice. We worked our way back through things and it's kind of shaking the rust out. We've got our conditioning back through skates at the end of practice. I think we're going to be ready to go on Friday."
