by Duncan Forbes
The Tigers kicked off their season with a trip to Germany in early September, where they competed against several local club teams. They finished with a 2-2 record, and with a roster that featured three former AUS all-stars and several key veteran players, the Tigers entered the season as one of the top contenders in an AUS league that was as wide open as ever.
The Tigers opened the regular season on a three-game winning streak, capped off by a thrilling OT victory on the road against the Memorial Sea-Hawks. The Sea-Hawks got their revenge the next day, however, and handed the Tigers their first loss, 68-57.
Looking to regroup the next weekend at home against the first-place Saint Mary’s Huskies, the Tigers lost a heart-breaker in overtime, 51-49. Not wanting to head into the holiday break on a bad note, the Tigers stomped the Acadia Axewomen 64-43 in front of their home fans in a crucial four-point game.
After going 5-2 in January, the Tigers got off to a tough start in February losing a four-point contest to last-place Acadia, despite Courtney Thompson dropping in a career-high 37 points. Later in the week they went 1-1 in a two-game set on the road against the Capers.
The Tigers regrouped to end the season, however, rattling off four straight wins, defeating opponents by an average of more than 13 points. In the final game of the season, Courtney Thompson broke Carolyn Wares’ 17 year-old Tigers single-season scoring record, finishing the season with 478 points. She finished her career with a total of 1,498, tied for 11th all-time in the AUS.
Finishing the season with a 14-6 record, the Tigers earned a semifinal bye to the AUS championship as the second seed.
At the AUS awards luncheon, multiple Tigers were honoured for their hard work and dedication. After leading the league in scoring, Courtney Thompson was named league MVP, the first Tiger since 2000 to win the award. She was also named an AUS first team all-star, while Tessa Stammberger was named to the second team. Thompson was also named a CIS first team All-Canadian, the Tigers first since Kathy MacCormack was selected in the 1988-89 season.
Head coach Anna Stammberger was named the AUS coach of the year, while Kristy Moore was the AUS nominee for the Tracy MacLeod award for perseverance, and Diedre Alexander was named to the AUS all-rookie team.
In the semifinal game of the AUS championship against the UPEI Panthers, the Tigers held a six-point lead at halftime. The Panthers cut the lead to just two points heading in the fourth quarter, and the Tigers couldn’t contain them falling 70-59 to end their season.
“There are many ways to have a ‘winning season and winning a championship title is one of them,” explains coach Stammberger. “Although we didn’t end the season with the championship title, we did have many other wins throughout the season. We participated in an exciting international team building and competition adventure with a trip to Germany to start the season, we celebrated seven Academic All-Canadians, we had our best record in the past six years, and we reached one of the coveted ‘bye’ positions for the first time since 2007. We had numerous OT wins and our team was well represented when AUS awards were distributed at the end of the season. Our team was very active in the community and made a difference in other people’s lives with all the volunteer work we were involved in.”