Jefferson Hagen / MacEwan Athletics
EDMONTON – In the most fitting of finishes, MacEwan Griffins' graduating senior Ryan Benn took a stretch pass and skated in alone on Briercrest goalie Dan Dekoning, the potential golden goal on his stick.
It was as if the curtain opened and the spotlight was on the leading man for his final act monologue.
In the last second of overtime in the final regular season game of his illustrious Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference career, Benn deked and split the wickets of the Clippers' terrific tender, delivering a 2-1 win that sealed a first-round playoff bye for the Griffins.
"That's a move I've done for a long time," said Benn, MacEwan's all-time leading scorer, who was sent in alone on a stretch pass from Austin Yaremchuk.
"I've gone away from it a little bit, but I did not think. My body just reacted and naturally did it, and thank God it worked."
MacEwan goaltender Christopher Wray, who was also feted pre-game alongside Benn and fellow program graduate Taylor Mulder on Senior Day, made 27 saves and was ecstatic when Benn made his effort stand up as a victory.
"It wasn't an easy goal," he said. "He had to make a good decision under hard conditions and I think he made the right play.
"It took us over 60 minutes to crack that guy. We only got one past him. It just goes to show how he can show up in those moments. He always has his whole career."
There have been some great performances by opposing ACAC goaltenders in the short history of the Downtown Community Arena. But the game that Dekoning put forward on Saturday afternoon topped them all.
Ryan Baskerville was the only Griffins player to beat him in regulation when he buried a rebound at 11:20 of the second period.
The Griffins spent the rest of the game in a state of consternation as the former Ontario Hockey League Erie Otters teammate of Connor McDavid brought his finest stuff, stoning them with 46 saves.
Dekoning's best of a highlight-reel evening was an absolute highway robbery of Nolan Yaremchuk late in the second period. He was down and out after the Griffins forward came out of the corner alone and outwaited him, but somehow, he got a glove up to snatch away a sure goal.
"There were three or four just world-class saves that he made to give them the chance to get that tying goal in the end," said Griffins interim head coach Michael Ringrose. "The kid's a good goalie and that's the bottom line. He gives them life, too, when he plays that way, and energy. He was a difference-maker for them, for sure."
But so was Wray for the Griffins, who had his fair share of tough shots from a much more game Briercrest team than the one that lost 7-1 to MacEwan on Friday. His first period work was especially important.
"They came with a lot of pressure, they came in waves and he made some huge saves early on to keep us tied even," said Benn. "The shots they did have were pretty Grade A chances. They're a pretty opportunistic team, so that scares you sometimes because they'll finish on their chances. But Chris was incredible."
It seemed Wray was on the way to a fairytale finish in his last regular season game, too, just 34 seconds away from a shutout when a scramble ensued as the Clippers attacked with numbers and Josiah Friesen tied it up to force overtime. Wray was impeded on the play, but the officials allowed the goal to stand because it appeared to be his own player who bumped him.
"In those situations, I trust the refs," said Wray. "For me, I had some people on my legs, so I couldn't get my skate down to push. You can only really reach on that stuff. I gave it my best shot, but it must have been our own guy or something."
No matter. The Griffins clinched the ACAC's No. 2 seed by making it to overtime, but just to make sure there was no doubt, they won it anyway to finish the season with a 20-7-1-0 record. Now they can rest and recoup next weekend as Seeds 3-6 duke it out for the right to meet them and No. 1 NAIT in the ACAC semifinals, set for March 9-11.
"Not a lot of people remember way back in October when we were 2-4," said Ringrose. "Our group has certainly had to grow a lot, we've come a long way since then. Since the start of November, we're 18-3-1, which is impressive at any level. To be able to post those kinds of results in a league that's as competitive and close as this one has been this year is a testament to our character, willingness to compete and perseverance through adversity.
"We're certainly proud of our regular season. This bye gives us a chance to recharge the battery and get ready for what we hope is a long playoff run."
ICE CHIPS … Brett Njaa wrapped up the season with 15 goals and 32 points in 28 games to clinch the team scoring title for a third-straight season … Brett Smythe (28 points in as many games) edged out Tyler Mrkonjic (26 in 28) for the team's rookie scoring crown … Benn concludes his ACAC career with a program-leading 56 goals and 132 points in 140 games played … Wray wraps up his with the most regular season career wins by a Griffins goaltender with 47.
