Austin Connelly, For MacEwan Athletics
RED DEER – Jaime Erickson played hero in three-on-three overtime as the MacEwan Griffins beat the Red Deer College Queens 4-3 in their final game of the regular season on Sunday afternoon.
Taking a feed from Jill MacWilliam in front, Erickson slipped the puck through Karlee Fetch's legs for the winner with 1:08 left in the second overtime.
With the result, MacEwan tied the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference women's hockey record for most wins in a season with 21, now sharing the mark with the 2010-11 Mount Royal University Cougars.
The victory also extends MacEwan's ACAC record winning streak to 14 games in a row.
"Really proud of this group, all year they found a way to win in various situations and I think it was kind of a great way to end this year," said Griffins head coach Lindsay McAlpine.
The game finished with great drama as MacEwan overcame giving up the game-tying goal just 21 seconds after taking a lead in the dying moments of the contest.
Before she set up Erickson's winner, MacWilliam scored with 2:54 left to put the Griffins out front 3-2 right before they lost the lead on Avery Lajeunnesse's tally with 2:33 remaining.
"That was the best game Jill has played all season," said McAlpine, "Jill's a player that when things are on the line she steps up."
Amanda Murray opened the scoring for the Griffins 13:34 into the contest when she finished off a mad scramble in front of the net on the powerplay.
Despite some early penalty trouble, the Griffins were able to kill them off with some stellar PK work and clutch saves from Natalie Bender, but repeated trips to the box came back to bite them before the period was up. Ashley Sutherland's point shot on the tail end of the powerplay found its way to the back of the net through a screened Bender with just 41 seconds remaining in the first.
The goal snapped an almost 100-minute shutout streak for the Griffins at 94:78 minutes, spanning across parts of three games, while Bender's personal shutout streak ended at 94:19 minutes after her 3-0 shutout performance on Friday over Red Deer and her last goal allowed before that against Olds on Feb. 6.
Just 3:53 into the second period, the Griffins recaptured the lead thanks to a beautiful individual effort by Carley Jewell.
She led the rush for the Griffins before a slick inside-outside move shed her defender and a quick wrister low blocker side beat Fetch.
"The D-zone for us is a huge focus and there were times in the game where it was too sloppy," said McAlpine. "It needs to be tighter and great time like Red Deer are going to capitalize."
"We've got to be prepared to play a really solid semifinal series against SAIT or Olds and I think all of our details and habits in the D-zone will be something we'll continue to talk about (leading up to the games)."
The Queens struck first in the third period, courtesy of Madison Sansom, who potted the rebound after a big pad save by Bender to knot the game at 2-2 halfway into the final frame.
An unexpected dramatic finish in Red Deer would ensue.
MacWilliam stole the puck in front of the net and burned the goalie wide, dodging her poke-check to give the Griffins a 3-2 lead before Lajeunnesse capitalized on a turnover in MacEwan's zone.
But MacEwan's veteran group came through when it mattered most.
"When things are the line and when hockey is our priority, they all come together at the right moments," said McAlpine of her six graduating seniors. "We'll look to that group to lead the charge going into playoffs."
MacEwan (21-3-0-0) now heads into a bye week before embarking on their quest for a fourth-straight championship when they open the playoffs against either SAIT or Olds College on Feb. 27.
