With godfather Berezan in his corner, Waseylenko taking his game to new heights with Griffins
Jefferson Hagen / MacEwan Athletics
EDMONTON – Matt Waseylenko wasn't even born when Steve Smith scored the infamous own goal on Grant Fuhr that cost the Edmonton Oilers their post-season series against the Calgary Flames in the 1986 Stanley Cup playoffs.
But he's heard about it several times from a player directly involved in the play.
Flames forward Perry Berezan, who was credited with one of the most memorable goals in NHL history after he dumped the puck in on a line change, is Waseylenko's godfather and a longtime friend of his father's.
"I always went to him and my dad for mentorship in certain situations," said Waseylenko, now in his fourth year as a defenceman with the MacEwan Griffins. "He really helped me out."
Nowadays, busy schedules prevent that direct mentorship, but they talk occasionally.
"When the opportunity's there. I haven't really contacted him a couple of years," said Waseylenko. "He's pretty busy. Just keeping up with school has taken most of my time."
There's no doubt, though, that the Griffins defenceman has learned how to play hockey the right way. His junior career included a cup of coffee four-game stint with the Western Hockey League's Prince Albert Raiders, but most of it was spent in the terrific learning environment of the Alberta Junior Hockey League's Camrose Kodiaks organization (2011-2014).
This weekend, he'll lead the Griffins into Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference action against the Camrose-based UAlberta-Augustana Vikings (Friday, 7 p.m., Downtown Community Arena and Saturday, 6 p.m., ENCANA Arena). The latter will be a visit to his old home barn from junior.
"It's always nice to see the ENCANA rink again," said Waseylenko, who is one of five former Kodiaks on the Griffins. "Bering there for junior, you know all the reads, you know the atmosphere the arena can bring, so it definitely adds fuel to the fire."
That's especially true when you consider the importance of the weekend to both squads. UAA has lost just twice in regulation this season and sits second in the standings behind NAIT. MacEwan has recovered from a slow start to rattle off four-straight wins and sits fourth, three points back.
"We want to make sure we're managing the puck well because they have a very deep forward group," said Griffins interim head coach Michael Ringrose of the Vikings. "They just kind of come at teams in waves. They have four lines that can all contribute and score, so for us we want to make sure we're taking care of the puck, we're limiting our turnovers and making them work for their opportunities.
"If we can do that, we feel like we have a good opportunity to have success this weekend."
Key in slowing down a Vikings team that hung a 10-spot on the Briercrest Clippers in their last outing is strong defensive play. And that's where Waseylenko, among others, come in.
The fourth-year product of St. Albert has taken on even more minutes of late and sees a lot of time on the penalty kill.
"He's really embraced the way we want to play, getting back to pucks quickly and then moving them up ice, pushing pucks through and playing fast," said Ringrose. "I've really seen a lot of growth in his game from the first weekend to now. It's been exceptional to watch him make strides.
"The one thing I appreciate about him is he's very coachable and even as a fourth-year player he's willing to make changes and work at his game. That's a good sign and bodes well for us."
Waseylenko, who was a key cog on the Griffins' 2016-17 ACAC championship team, sees himself as more composed since he entered the ACAC as a rookie in 2014.
"I believe over the years I've gained a little bit more confidence than when I was a rookie trying to establish a presence in the league," he said. "By the time you're a veteran you already have that presence and it's easier to gauge certain situations."
That gives him the tools to deal with an increasingly faster game.
"The game has evolved and it's usually not relied on bigger guys but faster guys now," he said.
"(To have success), it's usually just based on your gap control and having a good stick to be able to reduce (the other team's speed) in any way possible."
