Jefferson Hagen
MacEwan Athletics
EDMONTON – In short, Canmore is their happy place.
So, when the MacEwan Griffins women's hockey team travels there on Saturday to face the Mount Royal University Cougars in a game that's part of the nation-wide Scotiabank Hockey Day in Canada celebrations, the good vibes will be off the charts.
"It's really exciting," said Griffins captain Sydney Olsen, who is set to be interviewed by Sportsnet's Evanka Osmak as part of a feature for the national broadcast before their game at 3:30 p.m. (Canada West TV, Telus Optik TV Channel 1997). "I think it's a really cool opportunity to be a part of an event like this. We did some team building in Canmore earlier this year, so I think we're really excited we get to go back. That's where it all started to come together for us.
"To be one of the highlighted games (on Saturday) is so special. The women's game has grown so much and having an opportunity to show that off is really special. We're really excited."
First things, first, though. The Griffins and Cougars will compete against each other in their first game of the weekend series on Thursday (7 p.m., Downtown Community Arena, Canada West TV).
The game will be MacEwan's Stick Up for Pride game as part of a conference initiative to support the LGBTQ+ community. Players will be sporting Pride Tap on their sticks, pride flags will be handed out and fans will have the opportunity to donate to You Can Play.
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When the Griffins were last in Canmore in the preseason, the purpose was pure team building. It's a moment they often go back to, so they'll be returning to a place that's dear to their hearts this weekend.
"Our first night there, we did skits – we all had a different movie, and we did some skits from that," said Olsen. "So, there were tons of laughs there, which was really good.
"Then we had a lot deeper conversations. We were going to do a hike one morning, but some of our girls were injured and couldn't walk, so we found a little spot by the river. We just had a team meeting. We had some pretty vulnerable conversations, but I think it was good for us."
It's a moment they go back to often as they look at the team picture they took by the river that day.
So, as they've navigated some tough seas with a 2-13-3 record so far this season, this trip represents a refresher, a reset and a chance to relive their greatest chemistry-building moment of the season.
"We've had some brief discussions about that, and we have some plans to have some conversations structured around that," said head coach Chris Leeming. "Going back to where we've started, how far we've come and the growth we've experienced – things we've been through together for shared experiences, good and bad. It will be cool to go back there, this time in the winter, instead of the fall."
As for their play on the ice, MRU (13-4-3) will present a tough challenge, for sure. But the Griffins are focused on what they need to do to find success.
"We've just been focusing on really simplifying our game the next couple of weeks – just focused on our energy and compete, really," said Olsen. "The energy will come easy this weekend, being a part of Hockey Day in Canada.
"Other than that, we're just trying to focus on the process. We know if we do the right things every day, regardless of the result, the result will come eventually if we just stick to doing the right things every time. So, that's our focus going in."
Leeming said the focus in practice has been on being more assertive in their approach to creating offence. The Griffins have scored just twice in their past five games.
"We can't be happy to hang around," said Leeming. "We've got to be hungry and want to compete and take the game to them. We've been working on some offensive tactics here and trying to facilitate some more offensive generation for ourselves. Basically, it comes down to not sitting back and waiting for something good to happen. We've got to go out there and make it happen.
"The compete level is a major focus for us, too – giving second and third efforts for 60 minutes all 200 feet of the ice."
