Box Score EDMONTON — Sometimes you just have to get back to the basics and simplify the game.
Searching for their first win of the season, the MacEwan Griffins set the tone early, were committed to the little details and it resulted in a commanding 5-0 win over the Manitoba Bisons, Friday night at the Downtown Community Arena.
Ethan Strang became the first Griffins player to record a hat-trick in Canada West play, while Kole Gable and Loeden Schaufler added singles.
Ashton Abel made 29 saves for his first-career U SPORTS shutout as MacEwan improved to 1-5-1 this season. Manitoba fell to 0-6.
Right from the opening puck drop, the Griffins looked to be on a mission. They controlled the bulk of the play and put all kinds of pressure on Bisons goaltender
Kolby Thornton, who made 23 saves in the loss for Manitoba.
MacEwan hit two posts within the opening seven minutes but were finally rewarded when Strang scored his first of the game on a breakaway at the 8:59 mark when he ripped a shot over the glove of Thornton to give MacEwan the 1-0 lead.
The shots were close in the opening 20 minutes as MacEwan outshot Manitoba 9-8, but the Bisons were lucky to get out of the first period, down just one goal.
The Bisons showed some push back in the second period, outshooting MacEwan 15-9, but Abel wasn't going to allow Manitoba to get back in the game.
He made a crucial save in the early stages of the second period when he denied
Hayden Ostir on a breakaway.
Not long after, MacEwan made it 2-0 when Gable converted a pretty feed on a 2-on-1 with Jordan Taupert at the 3:47 mark of the second.
Abel then made another strong save off the stick of Ostir later on in the second to keep it a two-goal game.
The Griffins certainly weren't going to take their foot off the gas pedal with a 2-0 lead going into the third period.
Schaufler's blast from the point through traffic made it 3-0 just 2:05 into the third period, and then Strang scored his second of the game with an empty-netter, and then got the hat-trick goal on another breakaway with 2:20 remaining.
The Griffins can breathe a sigh of relief with their first win of the season, but now they want to build on it and try to gain some momentum.
