Austin Connelly, For MacEwan Athletics
EDMONTON – Kicking off the second half of the season with six points apiece in their last four games, Chantal Ricker and Morgan Casson are getting red hot at the right time for the MacEwan Griffins women's hockey team.
With Red Deer and NAIT clawing at their heels in the standings, the line of Ricker, Casson and Jordyn Reimer was dominating in crucial January victories, which propelled the Griffins to back-to-back sweeps to start 2020.
"I think both of them have that work ethic and intensity, and that commitment to drive their success," says head coach Lindsay McAlpine on the newly assembled top line. "Kind of ironically, Morgan and Ricky seem to always find each other on a line nearing the end of the year."
Recent sweeps over Red Deer College and NAIT helped clear more distance at the top of the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference standings for the Griffins, who are first with 30 points – four better than RDC and nine clear of NAIT.
"It was really exciting," says Ricker on the Griffins sweeping of Red Deer and NAIT. "They're both top teams in our league, and they're both coming after us because they both are wanting the championship just as much as us."
Sweeping crosstown rivals NAIT by identical 3-1 victories last weekend was not only crucial for this year's standings but could go down as the final meetings between the storied teams if they don't happen to play each other in the playoffs as MacEwan heads to the Canada West conference in 2020-21.
"It was a good feeling because we don't know if we're going to play them again," says Ricker. "It was fun last year in the finals with them, but we don't know the outcomes – so, that could be our last games against NAIT in the ACAC."
Ricker led the way with three goals and three assists over the four games, while Casson had two goals and four helpers, but the newfound linemates' chemistry goes deeper than one-ice production.
"We just click," says Ricker. "I think it's because we're super close off the ice, so I think maybe that could be a factor in how well we're playing right now."
It hasn't just been the dynamic duo that's driving the success of MacEwan's top line as Reimer has also been an integral piece of their success with three points in that stretch.
"I think we play a similar style in that we're very puck-to-net focused and we really like to get into the dirty areas," says Casson. "So, we've just managed to work well with doing that together."
Casson and Ricker will look to lead the way once again look to lead the Griffins (15-3-0-0), when they battle SAIT (4-11-1-0) starting on Friday (7 p.m., Downtown Community Arena, ACAC TV) and finishing on Saturday in Calgary (7 p.m., SAIT Arena, ACAC TV).
"I think (we've) just finally started to really click and we're starting to sense where each other are all the time," says Casson. "It feels very natural – like half the time we don't even need to look where each other already just know where they are to make the path."
"I don't think any of us on the line are very concerned about who's getting the goals," says Casson. "We're just concerned about winning games."
The rapid scoring rate of the Griffin's top line has been a revelation for the team.
"It's kind of been a breakthrough," says Casson. "We've struggled in the first half to be able to put the puck in the net and now we're just starting to gel."
Ricker sits second in the ACAC scoring race with 10 goals and 19 points while Casson is sixth with 13 points in three fewer games.
"I'd expect them to continue obviously to produce for us offensively," says McAlpine. "But another important thing for our team is to be a solid two-way player and I think that's something that's really evolved in Chantal Ricker's game – she's become someone that we can rely on defensively."
"I know all three of us are going to work hard to make sure that the lines aren't switching up anytime soon," says Ricker.
