Jefferson Hagen, MacEwan Athletics
EDMONTON – Without a loss since Nov. 16, the MacEwan Griffins roll into the playoffs hotter than any team ever has in Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference women's hockey history.
Closing out the campaign on an ACAC record 14-game winning streak to finish 21-3-0-0, the Griffins matched the 2010-11 Mount Royal University Cougars for the most regular season wins in ACAC history. Their 20 regulation wins to just 17 for the Cougars technically breaks the tie for the best season the league has ever seen.
The accomplishment won't mean much to them, however, unless they can finish the job and win an ACAC Championship.
"It's hard not to look at it like that, but I want our girls to recognize the season they've had and the success we've had and embrace and celebrate it," said head coach Lindsay McAlpine. "I know our girls would be very disheartened not to at least give ourselves a chance to play in that championship series.
"That will be a huge focus for us. We need to get through these two or three games and hopefully get back on that stage."
That means not looking past their ACAC best-of-three semifinal matchup with SAIT (7-16-1-0), who finished a full 27 points below them in the standings. The Griffins will host the Trojans in Game 1 on Thursday (7 p.m., Downtown Community Arena, ACAC TV), visit them in Calgary for Game 2 on Friday (7 p.m., SAIT Arena, ACAC TV) and, If necessary, host them in Game 3 on Saturday (6 p.m., DCA, ACAC TV).
SAIT's a feisty squad that's back in the playoffs for the first time in three years and enters the series on a two-game winning streak of their own after sweeping Olds College on the final weekend to punch their ticket.
"We've got to be prepared to play a SAIT team that's peaking," said head coach Lindsay McAlpine. "We know they come at us with a lot of physicality. They've got some players who can put the puck in the net when they have it in dangerous areas and they've got a couple D who have great shots from the point that we need to shut down early.
"Our group has become really resilient this season at being in tough situations and finding a way out of it," she added. "I think we're going to play off that. We've got a large group of fifth-year athletes who want to end on a high note, and I think we'll look to them throughout the series."
Ironically, the last women's hockey playoff game the SAIT Trojans played was a 3-2 overtime loss to the Griffins in Game 4 of the 2016-17 championship final when Morgan Casson scored the golden goal at SAIT Arena to deliver the first of three-straight banners to MacEwan.
The captain also scored the overtime-winning goal a year ago when the Griffins completed a 3-0 sweep of NAIT with a 3-2 overtime win in the final.
"I think just because everything's on the line," said Casson on why the playoffs brings out the best in her game. "I'm an emotional player, so I care a lot about winning. Everyone naturally rises to the occasion in those tight games and it just naturally brings the best out in people."
In 2019-20, the Griffins won all six meetings against the Trojans – 5-2 on Oct. 18, 5-1 on Oct. 19, 3-1 on Nov. 22, 1-0 on Nov. 23, 2-1 on Jan. 31 and 6-1 on Feb. 1 – but both teams are just two wins away from a spot in the ACAC final.
"Obviously, they're a very hard-working team and they're coming off a sweep, so they're going to be coming in pretty big," said Griffins forward Jordyn Reimer. "And they're back in a playoff series. We need to just play our game – hard forecheck, hard back-check and be strong in all areas of the ice."
Their game is predicated on strong defensive play leading to offensive opportunities, which is how the Griffins won three-straight titles.
"I just think most of our offence comes from a clean breakout and a good D zone," said fifth-year blueliner Kennedy Davidson. "We thrive off of our D zone, so I think that will be a big focus throughout the playoffs to make sure we shut down in our own, which will lead to producing in the offensive end.
"I think everyone just having that team-first mentality going into playoffs and everybody playing for each other is huge."
If those are the details the Griffins can take care of, they'll have a chance at making more history. No team has ever won four-straight championships in the 20-year history of the league.
After three-straight titles from 2002-05, Mount Royal had the first crack at a four-peat but were swept in the 2005-06 final by SAIT. And the NAIT Ooks, who won three-straight from 2012-15, saw their opportunity denied in a four-game final loss to Red Deer College in 2015-16.
"It would be a huge way to cap off our ACAC history," said McAlpine, whose team is heading to the Canada West conference in 2020-21. "That being said, I think we have a group of players, who (no matter if we're) winning or losing, our team mentality and character pieces always look the same.
"That's been a huge focus for us, just in our personal growth and development. I don't think that will be any different in this semifinal and hopefully final series."
