Jason Hills
For MacEwan Athletics
EDMONTON – Fans of the Edmonton Oilers have a nickname for defenceman Evan Bouchard's shot from the point. They call it the Bouch Bomb.
Fans, players and coaches of the MacEwan Griffins may need to come up with a nickname for Tess Collier's shot from the point.
Tess Bomb? Colli Bomb?
Either way, the second-year Griffins defenceman is making a name for herself with her booming shot through traffic.
"We have no nickname for it yet, but we may have to come up with one if she keeps scoring more goals from the point," said Griffins' assistant coach Izzy Cropper, who joined the coaching staff after spending last season with the Alberta Pandas.
"She's someone that utilizes her shot and her awareness on the blueline is exceptional. She's seeing success getting pucks through, and I would attribute that to the extra work she puts in every day at practice.
"When Tess gets the puck there in a game, we feel confident in the opportunities that come off her stick. It's a testament to the work she's put in."
Collier will look to put her big point shot to the test this weekend when the Griffins play the cross-town rival University of Alberta Pandas in a home-and-home series with the Griffins hosting Alberta on Friday (7 p.m., Downtown Community Arena) and visiting them on Saturday (2 p.m., Clare Drake Arena, both games on Canada West TV).
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Through eight games this season, the Swift Current product has scored two goals and added one assist, all coming off shots from the point. She's on pace to easily surpass her point totals from her rookie season that saw her tally two goals and three assists in 24 games.
"I feel a lot more comfortable this year. Coming in I knew what was expected of me, and it's been exciting this year with all our new additions," said Collier.
"My point shot has always been a strength of mine, and I really put an emphasis to try and get it on net through traffic more this year, and I'm not someone that goes end-to-end to score goals... I need to play to my strengths."
GOAL��
— MacEwan Griffins Women's Hockey (@GriffinsWHKY) November 2, 2024
Tess Collier steps up to scored the second powerplay goal of the night for the @MacEwanGriffins, who trail @UBCWHKY 4-2 in the third period.#GriffNation pic.twitter.com/Hv99RGysFs
Collier has certainly done that, and more. Despite being in just her second year, she's been relied upon to play heavy minutes. The coaching staff leans on her to play strong at both ends of the ice, and she's excelled in the bigger role.
"The thing that I noticed right away, is she's not someone who overcomplicates her game. She's grounded and plays a simple game and she's aware of her strengths, and she's becoming consistent in playing with those strengths," said Cropper.
"She's made big strides this year, and her play is really coming together. It's good to have somebody we know who is committed to their role on the back end and she's proving to be trustworthy in our own zone."
Growing up in Swift Current, hockey was always a big part of the Collier family. Tess, her mom and her siblings were die-hard fans of the Western Hockey League's Swift Current Broncos, and eventually became a billet family for the Broncos.
Tess, being the oldest among her siblings, suddenly had some big brothers to look up to when the Broncos players joined their family over the years.
"We started billeting Broncos players when I was 10... Beck Malenstyn, who is now playing in the NHL with the Buffalo Sabres lived with us. Riley Stotts, who plays now at the U of C, did too," said Collier.
"It was a great experience. They all loved hockey as much as we did, and it was nice to have them to look up to."
W��| GOAL��
— MacEwan Griffins (@MacEwanGriffins) October 12, 2024
Moosomin, SK product Ashton Bender gets the first of the season for @GriffinsWHKY to open the scoring vs @ReginaCougars!
After 20 minutes, it's 1-1 at the DCA.
Catch the action on @CanadaWest TV or join us!#GriffNation pic.twitter.com/xG0XzEoLyt
Collier's best memory as a fan of the Broncos was when they won the WHL championship in 2018.
While she saw her billet brothers live out their dreams, Collier continued to pursue her dream of making the Swift Current Wildcats (U18 AAA), and in 2020, she suited up and played five games with them before spending the next two seasons with the Wildcats.
Now, she's taken her dream a step further now playing for MacEwan.
"Growing up, I always wanted to play for the Wildcats... and I'm glad I stuck with it, because of the opportunities it opened for me," said Collier.
"I know this is where I'm exactly supposed to be. Taking that step away from Swift Current was an adjustment, but this whole experience so far has been incredible."
When Collier joined the Wildcats, her mom decided to make the switch and billet some of her teammates.
For the past two seasons, Collier now gets to battle two of her former Wildcats teammates in the Canada West conference.
"We had Kate Wagner, who plays at the U of C, and we also had Ava Metzger, who plays at MRU," said Collier.
"It's cool to see that I took a similar path to Kate, and now she's in one of her final years, while I'm just getting started.
"I love playing against those two girls. When we play them, it's a little extra special for me."
W��| GOAL��
— MacEwan Griffins (@MacEwanGriffins) October 13, 2024
Another game, another Tess Collier point shot that results in a goal.
This time, the goal is hers!@GriffinsWHKY are within one down the stretch of the third period, trailing @ReginaCougars 2-1.#GriffNation pic.twitter.com/5mRoilhe1o
Collier says the family support from her mom, siblings and grandpa and grandma is incredible. Despite living a seven-hour drive away, she said her family tries to come up a few times during the season, and they also travel to Calgary, Saskatoon and Regina when the Griffins are on the road.
The games back in her home province are also extra special.
"Their support means so much to me, and when we play back in Saskatchewan, and I look up and see all the people I love, it hits home for me," said Collier.
The Griffins have been hit with the injury bug amongst their D-corps. Last weekend they were without veteran Kali MacDonald and rookie Aspen Checknita, and Collier has taken it upon herself to become more of a leader on the blueline.
"When we give her feedback or we work on something new on the ice, she soaks in the information and she's someone who really loves the game and really wants to grow her own game around our team game," said Cropper.
"If I had to meet Tess today, I'd never guess she was in her second year. She carries herself like a veteran and really understands what it means to be a student-athlete."
