Jefferson Hagen
MacEwan Athletics
EDMONTON – The goalie was set, ready and wasn't screened.
Ethan Strang crossed the blueline and sniped one past him anyway.
His second goal and MacEwan's sixth of the game in a 6-2 rout over the visiting Trinity Western Spartans last Friday is indicative of the type of shot the rookie possesses.
"The goalie was ready for it, he could see it, but Ethan shoots so hard and accurately that he wasn't able to make the save," said Griffins interim head coach Zack Dailey. "That's something we see quite a bit in practice and definitely more lately if he gets time to get a shot off. I guess part of that is working on getting shots off quicker.
"Any time he's got time and space, it's probably going in the back of the net."
M��|��GOAL!
— MacEwan Griffins (@MacEwanGriffins) January 21, 2023
Rookie Ethan Strang has his second in a span of just 1:10 and now has six goals on the year as @MacEwanHockey goes up 6-1 on @TWUSpartans!@CanadaWest #GriffNation pic.twitter.com/yopLL5ewwl
He put four of them past TWU goaltenders in a two-game weekend sweep last weekend and moved into the MacEwan goal-scoring lead with eight on the season. That's also set a new record for the most by a Griffin in a Canada West men's hockey campaign, eclipsing the seven goals Riley Brandt recorded last year.
"That's exciting," said Strang. "I didn't know that until I read it. That's what you strive for. I'm not here to try and break records on purpose, but if it happens, it's exciting."
Strang and the Griffins (8-14-0) will host the UBC Thunderbirds (14-6-2) on Friday (7 p.m.) and Saturday (5 p.m., both Downtown Community Arena, Canada West TV). Friday's game is the Griffins' Mental Health Awareness Night.
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Strang's four-goal performance, amid an 11-goal weekend explosion for a Griffins team that was last in Canada West in offensive production before the series, was a welcome and pleasant surprise.
"Especially on a team that's struggled to score goals this year, it's very encouraging," said Dailey. "Part of the reason we brought him in here this year, is we thought he had the potential to help us offensively.
"Obviously, you never expect anyone to score four goals in two games. That's unrealistic, but we're happy to see him having some success. That's something we expect to continue."
Strang grew up in Cold Lake, Alta., but moved to Cochrane, Alta. when he was nine.
"My dad put us in hockey because every dad wants to put their son in hockey," he said of him and his brother Austin. "When we moved to Cochrane, we started taking it more seriously, getting involved in spring hockey and all these extra programs. I just moved up the ranks through there, playing in Cochrane, Airdrie and played at the Edge Prep School for a year."
Ethan Strang scores his first Canada West goal in MacEwan's season-opener vs. Regina on Sept. 30 (Joel Kingston photo).
That ultimately led to a four-year Alberta Junior Hockey League career with the Grande Prairie Storm, capped by an impressive final campaign in 2021-22 when he produced 37 goals and 58 points in 55 games – the second-highest goal total for the Storm in the last 12 years.
"Last year was, honestly, my biggest year in hockey so far," he said. "I put up pretty close to the team record in goals last year, so it was a pretty big confidence booster coming into this year. I had the same mindset that it's been done once, so it can be done again."
It's put him in the late-bloomer category – a development path that's continued this season as he's rode a wave of confidence into action against bigger, faster, and older players.
"I think it was a little bit of that," he said. "Something just kind of clicked last year – a little bit of confidence, kind of playing with that mentality that whatever happens, happens.
"The biggest part is just start having more fun. It's obviously just a game, so treat it that way and have fun doing it. That just kind of builds your confidence as you go. It's working for me."
It's working for the Griffins as a team, as well. They don't care who scores or who gets the credit, just that the collective reaches their goals and has fun doing it.
"The group that we have this year, they've bought into playing for each other," said Dailey. "They don't really care who has success, they just care that the group is successful. Any time you have unselfish people like that, you're probably going to succeed.
"Ethan definitely fits that mold where he's encouraging his teammates, but he's happy for the next guy. If it's him, great. If it's a linemate, great. If it's someone on a different line, he's always encouraging them. That just shows what kind of team we have, what kind of character we have in this program."
Ethan Strang looks to get the jump on Alberta's Wyatt McLeod during action in the first semester (Joel Kingston photo).
The Griffins are tied for the final playoff spot in Canada West with Regina (7-13-2). Manitoba (7-14-1) is one point behind. All three teams have six games left in the regular season, so buckle your seatbelts – it's going to be a fun stretch drive.
That starts with a tough match against a UBC team currently occupying fourth in the conference. The Griffins did split with them in October, so they are certainly capable of getting points this weekend.
"First of all, we have a very good team coming into our building," said Dailey, whose team will host UBC for the first time since joining Canada West. "They skate very well, they compete hard, and they have a lot of skill. So, it's going to be a tough test for us. The last time we played them, they scored a bunch of powerplay goals. Our penalty kill is going to need to improve. Then I think we got out-competed in our net-front, as well.
"Definitely some things that we need to clean up, but we're going to be pushing hard. I've been really happy with our play the last two weekends, especially. I expect nothing less than our best effort. We're going to make a push here."
