Three Stars: Daigle, Njaa and Oram earn honours
MacEwan Athletics
EDMONTON – Marc-Olivier Daigle is the MacEwan Athletics first star of the week after leading the Griffins men's hockey team to their second-straight ACAC Championship.
Daigle led the Griffins to a 2-1 series win over the cross-town rival NAIT Ooks after stopping 112 of 119 shots. Several of those saves were of the highlight-reel variety.
Other athletes recognized this week include second star Brett Njaa of the men's hockey team and third star Meghan Oram of the women's soccer team.
Daigle was previously named second star on Sept. 19, while Njaa is also being honoured for the second time this season, having been named third star on Feb. 13. Oram is making her first appearance on the list in 2017-18.
1st star: Marc-Olivier Daigle, G, men's hockey
Delson, QC, third-year, Commerce
To say Marc-Olivier Daigle was great in the ACAC men's hockey championship final would be an understatement. He was downright brilliant at times in repelling the NAIT Ooks' attack, leading the MacEwan Griffins to their second-straight banner on Sunday night.
Over the three-game series, Daigle stopped 112 of 119 shots (.941 save percentage) and boasted a 2.36 goals against average. He led the Griffins to a 7-3 win in Game 1 with 37 saves. Although MacEwan lost Game 2 by a 3-2 score, Daigle was named the Griffins' player of the game after making 40 stops on 43 shots.
He saved his best for last, making 39 saves in Game 3 – including two otherworldly stops, a sliding save in the second period to rob Francis Menard on a one-timer and shutting down a tic-tac-toe NAIT passing play down low in the third. His work preserved a 4-1 victory in the game and a championship for the Griffins.
Daigle was named ACAC playoff MVP for his efforts. That award came two days after he was named to the ACAC All-Conference First Team for his work in the regular season.
2nd star: Brett Njaa, F, men's hockey
Birch Hills, SK, third-year, Commerce
When the MacEwan Griffins and NAIT Ooks squared off for Game 1 of the ACAC Championship final at NAIT Arena last Friday night, there was an important pre-game ceremony that featured Brett Njaa prominently.
After being named to the ACAC All-Conference First Team, Njaa received the ACAC's Most Outstanding Player honour for his terrific regular season.
He led the Griffins in scoring for a third-straight season with 32 points in 28 games and now has more points (94) in the last three seasons than any other player in the ACAC ranks.
Njaa produced a goal and two assists in the three-game championship series, including setting up the play that would lead to the game-winning goal in Game 3 on Sunday night.
He finished the playoffs with a goal and four assists for the Griffins in five post-season contests.
Brett Njaa hoists the ACAC Championship trophy at NAIT Arena on Sunday. He was named ACAC Most Outstanding Player after leading the Griffins in scoring for a third-straight season (Len Joudrey photo).
3rd star: Meghan Oram, F, women's soccer
Calgary, AB, third-year, Science
The Griffins' striker came up big for her team in an exhibition match against the cross-town rival University of Alberta Pandas last Saturday at Foote Field.
With MacEwan trailing 2-0, Raeghan McCarthy threaded a through-ball that sent Oram in all alone on a well-timed run and she slotted it in the net. That ignited a rally for the Griffins, who tied it up on a Meagan Lemoine goal before losing 3-2 on a goal in extra time.
Oram has now scored in three-straight matches against the Pandas, stretching back to their Canada West quarter-final playoff victory over them on Oct. 29 on Foote Field when Oram opened the scoring for the Griffins in the 18th minute. MacEwan later won the contest 2-1.
Oram also tallied during a 1-1 tie with the Pandas at the Snow Cup in January.
In the 2017 Canada West regular season, Oram produced two goals and two assists for the Griffins.
Meghan Oram, seen going against Mount Royal University during a 2017 regular season game, scored her third goal in as many games against the University of Alberta Pandas last Saturday (Chris Piggott photo).
