Griffins surging towards home ice advantage in Canada West playoffs
The Griffins are heading into the final stretch with momentum, pressure and home ice still in play.
Photo credit: Ty Holloway
Back-to-back overtime losses did not slow down the MacEwan Griffins, who moved past their cross-river rivals, the University of Alberta Golden Bears, into second place in the west division.
The Griffins lost to the Manitoba Bisons 4-3 in both games of their weekend series, but gained ground in the standings with the Golden Bears’ two losses to the Saskatchewan Huskies.
The Griffins sit one point ahead of the Golden Bears with six games remaining in the regular season. The two will meet in the final series, a matchup that could determine home-ice advantage in the playoffs.
Image supplied: Canada West
For Griffins captain Sam Simard, this presents an opportunity for MacEwan students to get involved.
“I don’t want to say I think about it all the time, but it’s hard not [to] have it in the back of your mind every weekend,” he said.
“Points are more crucial than they’ve ever been before. It’s so huge to have home ice advantage in the playoffs — To show my fellow students on campus that we’re an exciting team to watch.”
Much of the Griffins’ success this season can be attributed to head coach Zack Dailey, who won two national championships as a player with the Golden Bears before joining MacEwan behind the bench.
“It’s been great. We’re growing together as a group, and we’re starting to see that work pay off,” Dailey said.
He acknowledged that transition from player to coach came with its challenges.
“I thought I was more ready than I was because I had been through that experience,” he said. “Coaching is extremely different than playing […] knowing what it takes to win a national championship, that’s real experience that I can bring to this group.”
With a tight playoff race ahead, Simard and the rest of the Griffins are up to the challenge.
“The opportunity to earn a positive handshake at the end of a series in our own barn is so exciting,” he said. “To do that in front of our student body would be an incredible feeling.”
