Jefferson Hagen, MacEwan Athletics
EDMONTON – The response was exactly what a coach wants to see.
Two days after celebrating a historic moment – the first Canada West victory in Griffins' women's hockey history when they toppled Regina 2-1 last Saturday – the team was back on the ice ready to work.
This is just the beginning.
Everyone bought into that mantra on Monday afternoon – the squad's first practice ahead of a weekend road trip to Calgary for games Friday (7 p.m.) and Saturday (6 p.m., both Canada West TV presented by Co-op).
"We talked after the game to celebrate in the moment but that we needed to get back to work on Monday," said head coach Lindsay McAlpine. "That's exactly what the girls did. They came ready to go and we know we've got a big weekend here against the University of Calgary."
Officially, it's the Griffins' inaugural road weekend of their Canada West era, but It's not their first rodeo. The squad travelled out of town on three consecutive weekends to close out the exhibition season – key bonding moments for a team with 17 new faces since they last played in 2019-20.
"I think it was really important to get on the road in the preseason, especially after a year of COVID and being isolated," said McAlpine. "So, that was critical that we built that into our exhibition schedule so the road won't be as new when we hit it on Friday. But it's always fun to play on the road. I think our team has found success on the road at the ACAC level and I'm looking forward to seeing what we can do in Calgary."
The rivalry between the Alberta teams is just building; they met once in preseason – a 5-4 overtime win for the Dinos at the Downtown Community Arena.
"We had a high-scoring game against them," said McAlpine, whose team was seemingly on its way to a win in that contest before giving up the tying goal with 11 seconds left and losing in OT.
"But the huge successes there were we were able to capitalize four times. Offence has been a struggle at the outset of our entrance into Canada West, but it's something I'm hoping we can reproduce this weekend against Calgary again."
Ultimately, though, the key to their success is their work rate.
"You've heard me say this before, but it's our team's work ethic and intensity," said McAlpine of what they need to do to be successful this weekend. "That grit piece for us will be that driving force throughout this entire year and a big push for us against U of C."
