Road Preview: BB teams cross the river in visit U of A, while MHKY tunes up in Regina for playoffs
Jefferson Hagen
MacEwan Athletics
EDMONTON – Three MacEwan Griffins teams will finish the Canada West regular season on the road this weekend.
Both basketball teams won't travel far as they head just across the river for games at the Saville Centre, hosted by the University of Alberta Golden Bears on Friday and Saturday.
Women's basketball is coming off their first win of the season – a 66-62 triumph over Manitoba last Saturday.
"We're looking to build momentum from our performance last Saturday against Manitoba and continue to achieve or strive for that type of performance and a complete team game going up against a really strong Alberta team," said head coach Katherine Adams.
The Griffins men's hockey team will be out of province as they finish up the regular season with a pair of games at the Regina Cougars.
Check out capsule previews on all three matchups below:
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
On Tap
Friday: at Alberta, 6 p.m., Saville Centre, Canada West TV
Saturday: at Alberta, 5 p.m., Saville Centre, Canada West TV
Last meeting
Jan. 6, 2024: MacEwan 46 at Alberta 71
Last game
Feb. 8: Manitoba 62 at MacEwan 66
Feb. 8: Alberta 67 at Mount Royal 59
2024-25 records
MacEwan (1-17): 10th in Prairie Division
Alberta (16-2): T1st in Prairie Division
Katherine Adams' coach's quote:
"We know the calibre of team they are, so we shouldn't be surprised by the pace of play and the way they shoot the ball. So, we're hoping that we don't take the first five minutes or first quarter as a feeling-out process and that we can just jump in and know they shoot the ball well, they run in transition well and we're going to have to be ready to compete right off the get go."
Players to watch
MacEwan: Sofia Makinen – With two games left, Makinen is on pace to break the program record for the best free-throw percentage in a Canada West season. The current record of 88.9 is held by Noelle Kilbreath in 2023-24. Makinen is currently rocking a 92.9 (26 of 28 free throws made), which leads Canada West and is second in U SPORTS.
Alberta: Clare Signatovich – The fifth-year 6-foot forward is playing in the final two home regular season games of her career. She does elite work in the paint, currently second in Canada West in rebounds/game (9.5) and tied for sixth in blocks/game (1.3). She also scores at an 11.1 points/game clip, tied for second on the Pandas.
Hugo Alonso enters the final weekend of the season currently ahead of the program record for free-throw percentage (James Maclennan photo).
MEN'S BASKETBALL
On Tap
Friday: at Alberta, 8 p.m., Saville Centre, Canada West TV
Saturday: at Alberta, 7 p.m., Saville Centre, Canada West TV
Last meeting
Jan. 6, 2024: MacEwan 58 at Alberta 89
Last game
Feb. 8: Manitoba 88 at MacEwan 77
Feb. 8: Alberta 51 at Mount Royal 72
2024-25 records
MacEwan (2-16): 10th Prairie Division
Alberta (8-10): 6th Prairie Division
Mike Connolly's coach's quote:
"(Our goal is) two wins. (We need to) have a winning attitude. Just getting ready to try to get two wins."
Players to watch
MacEwan: Hugo Alonso – The 6-foot-6 wing enters the final weekend of the season second in Canada West in free throw shooting percentage (28-of-31 for 90.3%) That's currently ahead of the program record for the best by a Griffin in Canada West play, held by Matthew Osunde (88.0 in 2021-22).
Alberta: Isaac Simon – Alberta may be having a down year in the standings compared to recent seasons, but they still boast one of the most prolific scorers in Canada West. Simon is averaging 18.2 points/game, which is fifth in the conference.
Spencer McLean and the Griffins are off to Regina for their final two games of the regular season this weekend as they get ready for a Canada West quarter-final series (Derek Harback photo).
MEN'S HOCKEY
On Tap
Friday: at Regina, 6 p.m. MT, Canada West TV
Saturday: at Regina, 4 p.m. MT, Canada West TV
Last meeting
Nov. 23, 2024: Regina 3 at MacEwan 2 (SO)
Last game
Feb. 8: Calgary 4 at MacEwan 1
Feb. 8: Regina 3 at Mount Royal 8
2024-25 records
MacEwan (10-13-3): 3rd East Division
Regina (3-22-1): 5th East Division
Zack Dailey's coach's quote:
"It's kind of our last tuneup before playoffs, so we want to be playing at our best so we have confidence to go in and win a playoff series.
"I think (when we play well) we're just simple and hard to play against. So, we chip a whole bunch of pucks, we don't turn pucks over, we're physical, we're in your face, we have our sticks on pucks and we just make it hard for teams to make plays through us. So, that's what I'm looking for this weekend – don't overcomplicate things, keep things simple, keep the puck out of our end, into their end, and I think that's what we need to be able to do to be successful."
Players to watch
MacEwan: Marc Pasemko – The graduating senior enters the final regular season weekend of his university career with a chance to break program records for the most points, goals and assists by a Griffin in a Canada West regular season. Pasemko has 11 goals and 13 assists for 24 points in 23 games and sits three points back of the record set by Ethan Strang, when he had 27 last season. He is also only one goal and two assists behind Strang's marks.
Regina: Eric Pearce – The third-year forward scored the shootout winner for the Cougars the last time they met the Griffins back on Nov. 23 at the Downtown Community Arena. For the season, he is tied for third in scoring on the Cougars with nine points in 25 games.
Notable
While the Griffins have clinched a playoff spot, where they will be headed on the Feb. 21-23 weekend for their best-of-three quarter-final series is still up in the air. They will visit the No. 2 seed from the West Division, which is currently held by the UBC Thunderbirds, who enter the final regular season weekend a point back of Mount Royal for the coveted No. 1 seed and first round bye. UBC visits Calgary this weekend for two games, while MRU is at Trinity Western.
