Jefferson Hagen
MacEwan Athletics
EDMONTON – After the Griffins scored three goals on their first three shots Friday, they weathered a storm unlike any they've seen since joining Canada West in 2021.
With home ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs still a possibility for the visiting Regina Cougars, they hemmed the Griffins in their own end for most of the rest of the game in a determined effort to rally back.
Shot after shot after shot came in on MacEwan's rookie goaltender Mikayla Christmann. But she was undeterred, turning aside 50 of 51 shots to pace the Griffins to a 4-1 victory.
"I kind of just went shot by shot," said the tired tendy from Warman, Sask. after the game. "I always tell myself it's just one shot at a time, like players probably tell themselves one shift at a time. Just every shot, it was 'Ok, let's move onto the next one.' And just remember my habits."
The 50 saves broke not only the program rookie record for the most by a Griffin in a Canada West game, it's the most any Griffins tender has had since they joined the conference. Brianna Sank held the previous mark when she stopped 47 against UBC in October 2022, a night after Lindsey Johnson set the previous rookie record with 38 saves, also against UBC.
"Fifty saves, is that good?," joked Griffins head coach Chris Leeming. "I've said it before she's a fantastic kid. Her work has been relentless with how much she's done since the start of the year for us. It's great to see her be the benefactor of that."
Mikayla Christmann shuts the door in the third period!#GriffNation pic.twitter.com/blrzHKgGN0
— MacEwan Griffins Women's Hockey (@GriffinsWHKY) February 15, 2025
With the result, the Griffins topped their win total from last season, improving to 6-18-3, while the Cougars dropped to 10-12-5. While Regina has made the post-season, they're locked into the third seed in the East Division; it turns out their result wouldn't have mattered as Manitoba beat Saskatchewan 5-2 to go up five points on them for second.
For the Griffins, the win is their fourth in the past six games.
"It feels really good," said Allee Isley, who scored twice on Friday. "Hopefully we can bring it into next season. It kind of sucks we started a little later than we wished, but it feels really good. Everyone's buzzing."
It felt inevitable that Isley would get a hat-trick after she scored on her first two shots of the game less than six minutes into the contest, but three wouldn't come.
Not even on a night that she celebrated her 21st birthday.
"I was hoping for it on my birthday, that would have been a treat," she said. "But two's just as good."
GOAL��
— MacEwan Griffins Women's Hockey (@GriffinsWHKY) February 15, 2025
The @MacEwanGriffins are on the board first just over two minutes into the game as Allee Isley whacks it in out of a scramble in front!#GriffNation pic.twitter.com/j64uYWgudH
The third-year forward opened the scoring just 2:08 into the contest, jamming a puck home out of a scramble while on her butt after linemates Sydney Jack and Karington Mollin started the play.
Then she tipped Aspen Checknita's point shot past Regina starter Natalie Williamson to put MacEwan up 2-0 5:51 in.
"It was really awesome," said Isley. "I haven't scored two goals in any game in my whole career, and it got everyone going, so it was good. We were just buzzing from there."
GOAL��
— MacEwan Griffins Women's Hockey (@GriffinsWHKY) February 15, 2025
Allee Isley has two, matching the program's single game record in @CanadaWest play and we're only 5:51 into this one! Her perfect tip off Aspen Checknita's point shot puts MacEwan up 2-0.#GriffNation pic.twitter.com/R5X30Vvy74
On the Griffins' third shot of the game, they made it 3-0 as Jennifer Andrash sped in and beat Williamson with a shot, but it clanged off the post and sat loose in behind her. Regina's Raea Gilroy attempted to sweep it out of the crease, only to have the misfortune of banking it in off Williamson's skate after the goalie spun backwards in an attempt to locate the loose puck.
GOAL��
— MacEwan Griffins Women's Hockey (@GriffinsWHKY) February 15, 2025
Jennifer Andrash gets credit for the @MacEwanGriffins' third goal on just their third shot after a @ReginaCougars clearing attempt goes off the goalie and in. Andrash is just one back of Jesse Jack's single @CanadaWest points record with her 12th!#GriffNation pic.twitter.com/zjSlJPG4UR
That was it for Williamson, who entered the game with a .944 save percentage for the season (third in Canada West), but saw it fall to .935 just like that.
"Our game plan was to make sure when we were in the offensive zone that we were intentional with getting pucks and bodies to the net," said Leeming. "That was a little bit of our pre-scout on them. Things went our way. We got a couple bounces. It's not often any team scores three goals on the first three shots of the game.
"After that, I thought we played a little bit of a scrambly game and Mikayla was fantastic for us between the pipes and gave us a lot of confidence."
Allee Isley celebrates one of her two goals on Friday - a nice performance on the night she celebrated her birthday (Rebecca Chelmick photo).
Arden Kliewer stopped all 11 shots she faced in relief for Regina, but it didn't affect the final result. Even though the Cougars outshot the Griffins 51-15, they ended up with nothing to show for it thanks to Christmann, who said she gained confidence after her offence spotted her a 3-0 lead.
"It was so good to see, especially since we've had some trouble scoring," she said. "To see us get three goals at the start was a huge confidence boost and I knew now it's just time to hold the lead."
Regina got one back when Julianne Giradin sifted a power-play point shot through traffic and in just before the end of the first period.
GOAL��
— MacEwan Griffins Women's Hockey (@GriffinsWHKY) February 15, 2025
Joie Simon's big block leads to an empty net tap in for Claire Hobbs as @GriffinsWHKY puts this one away, winning 4-1 over @ReginaCougars!#GriffNation pic.twitter.com/zi6PYkAiMv
The Cougars pulled the goalie with four minutes remaining in an attempt to pull within one, but no dice. MacEwan's Claire Hobbs scored into an empty net with 2:21 left after Joie Simon blocked a shot at their blueline.
"The second period we gave up more Grade A scoring chances than we would have liked to, but the third, we just went in there and we told them to refocus on their habits, the details and the discipline which would help us be successful for the last 20 minutes," said Leeming. "We need more of that if we want to finish strong tomorrow."
The teams will meet again in the regular season finale on Saturday (5 p.m., Downtown Community Arena, Canada West TV).
