EDMONTON - Madison Willan had two goals and assist to lead the Pandas to a 4-0 victory over the MacEwan Griffins on Senior Appreciation Night at Clare Drake Arena.

The win vaults the Pandas (11-5-2) into a tie with Saskatchewan for the 4th playoff spot which gets to host a quarterfinal against the fifth seeded team. With Saskatchewan already having finished their season, Alberta has two games in hand to clinch a home playoff berth.

With the loss MacEwan falls to 6-12-0 in their Canada West debut season, and virtually eliminated from the playoffs. The scenario to get in requires two straight Calgary losses to Alberta next weekend, two straight Regina losses to UBC, and a sweep of their series versus Mount Royal, the #1 team in the conference.

There was a nice pregame ceremony to honour and celebrate the Pandas whose time in the program will come to an end with the culmination of this season. These players are Captain Abby Krzyzaniak, fourth-year Kiara Machry, & fifth-years Kirsten Chamberlin, Bethan Wilson, and Kelsey Tangjerd.

For Chamberlin a bit of history was made tonight; she moved into 5th place in all-time goaltender minutes played in program history, as well as sole possession of third place in all-time shutouts as well.

The game was Alberta's most complete performance of the season, a pure domination of MacEwan on offence, defence, and special teams. This is their 26th-straight win over the Griffins.

The first period was largely controlled by the southsiders, with Alberta outshooting the Griffins 12-4. They could not find a way past GMU netminder Natalie Bender however, who turned aside all twelve chances.

Both teams received a powerplay in the period; MacEwan's in particular generated some high-danger chances that were saved by Chamberlin.

The teams entered the intermission with the score knotted at 0.

The second period provided much of the same action as the first, with the Pandas continually dominating time of possession and takeaways.

There were multiple good chances in the period for Alberta, including a slapshot from a wide open slot from Krzyzaniak that Bender corralled, and another from fellow graduate of the program Machry who was tee'd up on a beautiful pass from Megan Wilson that almost found the back of the net.

Bender had stopped the first 28 Alberta shots when 2020 U SPORTS Rookie of the Year Madison Willan took over the game. First a beautiful individual effort where, crowded by three Griffins in the slot, she went forehand-backhand-back of the net for her Pandas-leading seventh of the year.

And then less than two minutes later, a Willan wraparound pass to Payton Lambauch was snapped top shelf for her sixth of this CW campaign. It was on the powerplay, of which Alberta had three in the period.

Bender was phenomenal, stopping an astounding 22 of 24 Alberta shots. MacEwan was outshot 24-3 in the period, the largest differential in a period thus far for the Pandas.

Willan was not done there. Early in the third she put home a shot from the slot on a great team play buoyed by passes from Laumbach and rookie Natalie Kieser. The trio combined for eight points on the night.

The period was hectic and scrappy; a total of eight penalties were served by the squads, four apiece. 

Tangjerd, in potentially her last game at Clare Drake, poked home her first goal of the Canada West season with nine minutes to go in the period. It would take the Pandas all the way home for a 4-0 victory.

Bender stopped 45 of 49 Alberta shots in a great performance, while Chamberlin stopped all 10 Griffin shots for her 20th career shutout.

Alberta travels to Calgary next weekend for a rivalry matchup against the Dinos. A sweep of the two games would guarantee a home playoff spot. MacEwan also follows the Pandas for a set against the Mount Royal Cougars.