Jefferson Hagen
MacEwan Athletics
SASKATOON – Given a second-consecutive start after a 32-save shutout in her U SPORTS debut last weekend, rookie goaltender Mikayla Christmann almost stole another one for the Griffins women's hockey team on Friday night.
Playing in front of friends and family from her nearby hometown of Warman, Sask., Christmann stopped 24 of 25 shots, but the Griffins couldn't score in a 1-0 loss to the Saskatchewan Huskies.
"It was a cool opportunity for her to play in her hometown, more or less," said Griffins head coach Chris Leeming. "She's from just north of Saskatoon and she played for the Stars for two out of her three years at U18. I know she had lots of family and friends there supporting her and it was a pretty cool moment for her."
In two games, Christmann has a .982 save percentage after sitting as the Griffins' third goaltender for the entire season leading up until this point.
"That just goes back to the testament of the work she's done," said Leeming. "Seeing her play before this season, she carried quite a heavy load with Battleford before she returned to Saskatoon for her third year. She was on a stronger team but made the saves she needed to make and kept them in games.
"There's a lot of upside with her and the best thing is just the work ethic and attitude she brings every day. I really believe that's what's facilitated her growth."
Still, the Griffins were unable to reward her with a win as they couldn't find a way to beat Huskies goaltender Colby Wilson, who recorded her fourth shutout of the season – and third over the Griffins – with 15 saves.
MacEwan wasn't without chances as Joie Simon had a breakaway and missed the net. And Letta Mattheos had a breakaway but fanned on a backhand attempt through Wilson's legs.
"Late in the game, we got a powerplay with four minutes left and we pulled Mikayla, so we played for four minutes without a goalie," said Leeming. "We got a couple high slot tips and just missed the net. It wasn't necessarily for a lack of effort.
"It's more just making sure we get pucks on net. And we've got to do a better job of taking away their goalie's eyes to create secondary chances or maybe sneak one by her when she can't get her eyes on the puck."
Saskatchewan's lone goal was scored by Bronwyn Boucher in the final minute of the first period. Other than that, they couldn't solve Christmann.
"I thought we did a decent job of keeping their high-danger scoring chances to a minimum," said Leeming. "When (Mikayla) was called upon, she made the saves we needed and kept the game close.
"The only one that beat her was just kind of a wraparound play where the girl had enough speed where she won the race to the post and it looked like she banked the puck off the back of her foot."
The teams meet again on Saturday (4 p.m. MT, Canada West TV).
