Jefferson Hagen
MacEwan Athletics
EDMONTON – They haven't had an official race or any sort of a skills competition, but it's a pretty good bet that Marc Pasemko is the fastest skater on the MacEwan Griffins men's hockey team.
The Colorado College transfer has given the Griffins some much-needed after-burners so far this season.
"I think he brings a speed impact we maybe didn't have in the past," said interim head coach Zack Dailey. "Everything he does is at a high pace. With the puck, he's able to push D back and create time and space for his linemates and on the defensive side of things he's able to close the gap and put pressure on guys right away.
"He actually has a sneaky physical game as well where he catches guys by surprise with finished bodychecks," he added. "He's been a real good player for us – he plays powerplay, can kill penalties, is out there in the last minute. He's been important for our group, for sure."
Pasemko, who is tied for the Griffins' goal-scoring lead with five so far this season (and eight points), will lead the squad into a weekend home series vs. Trinity Western (Friday, 7 p.m. and Saturday, 4 p.m., both Downtown Community Arena, Canada West TV).
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"Speed's always been a massive part of my game," said Pasemko, who played in local elite hockey programs Canadian Athletic Club and the NAX in his youth before a junior career with the AJHL Okotoks Oilers. "I've always been a great skater. So, I think I've been able to help the team by just upping the pace we practice with and what we play with. I'm always hard on the forecheck and my skating saves me in a lot of different aspects."
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— MacEwan Griffins (@MacEwanGriffins) November 12, 2022
Marc Pasemko puts @MacEwanHockey up 2-1 on @HuskiesMHKY with a power-play blast through traffic late in the second period!@CanadaWest #GriffNation pic.twitter.com/MZaG9PY22Z
Pasemko is coming off a pair of strong outings for the Griffins last weekend where he had points in both games at Regina, including scoring the only goal in a 5-1 loss on Saturday.
"I think I was just being confident with the puck," he said. "Dave (Kope) did a good job getting open on the powerplay (a Friday goal that Pasemko assisted on). I think we have some good chemistry. My goal is about continually shooting the puck. One just decided to go in. I think it was a lot about having confidence this weekend."
In fact, Pasemko grew up playing hockey with Kope, Sean Comrie and Ryley Appelt with CAC. Every two years they were on the same team as he's a year older.
"Those three guys were heavy into my ear about coming home and playing on the Griffins," said Pasemko, who played for current NAX president Jason Stewart at both CAC and NAX. "Those three guys have been my good buddies for a while, so the transition to MacEwan was pretty easy. Coming into the room the first few days wasn't stressful or anything because I always had those guys to rely on. They played a huge part, for sure."
Prior to coming to MacEwan, Pasemko played 26 games over two seasons for Colorado College in the ultra-tough NCHC conference of the NCAA Div. 1 ranks.
"Playing in the NCAA was a dream of mine, so it was a pretty great experience, all things considered," he said. "Would I have liked to get more playing time? Sure. And things might have turned out differently for me. But I'm happy for the experience.
"The conference I was in was one of the best conferences in the world, so that just prepared me a lot for coming back here and playing heavy minutes, and being a reliable player on the ice."
Marc Pasemko gets a point-blank chance on Regina during action earlier this season (Joel Kingston photo).
Pasemko's most memorable NCAA moment was his first goal, which came in a game at Denver on March 5, 2022.
"My parents were up for the first time to watch me, and I ended up scoring in front of them," he said. "It was pretty special to be able to celebrate with them after. I was obviously ecstatic, but the smile on my parents' faces when I came out of the dressing room made me pretty happy."
Also along his hockey journey, Pasemko recorded 153 points in 171 games with the Okotoks Oilers.
"I've got nothing but great things to say about Okotoks," he said. "We had some great teams. Unfortunately, my last year, we would have won the whole thing, but (the season) ended because of COVID. We weren't the only ones in that situation. But I had a great time."
His time with the Griffins has the potential to be just as memorable. MacEwan is chasing a playoff spot, sitting four points behind Regina for the last post-season berth in Canada West – the difference between being the Cougars' sweep last weekend.
"I actually really liked our game last weekend," said Dailey. "I thought we did a lot of good stuff. I thought our effort was good. I liked our O-zone creating chances; I thought that was really good. What really caught us was missing some key blocks. There were some missed blocks and some rebounds out there that weren't cleared. That kind of hurt us. So, we're just cleaning up small details. For the most part, though, I thought we did a good job and I'm happy with how we're playing."
