Written by Duncan
Forbes
The new-look edition of the Tigers
women’s hockey team featured 15 first-year players who were
looking to make the adjustment to the AUS game. Wins were hard to
come by for the young Tigers squad as they went 0-6 in the
pre-season as they struggled to get things going offensively.
Their first win of the season came
against St. Thomas as rookie Lisa MacLean notched the first goal of
her AUS career. The Tigers had consistency issues after that and
struggled to string together consecutive victories. A lack of
inexperience caught up with the Tigers as they couldn’t seal
the deal and found themselves on the wrong side of multiple
one-goal games.
In late December, they came out on top in the Halifax Cup
against rival Saint Mary’s, tying the first game 1-1 and then
rallying to win the second game 4-1 to grab the victory.
The Tigers had to gear up for a playoff push in the second
half of the season. They struggled and didn’t find themselves
in the win column until their fifth game of the second half with a
4-3 win over the UPEI Panthers. They couldn’t build on that
victory and ended the season on a six-game winless streak, which
included three one-goal games, one of which was a shootout thriller
against Moncton.
Finishing with a 5-16-3 record, the Tigers finished seven
points out of a playoff spot, but the young team earned
immeasurable experience.
“Although we didn’t have as many wins in the 2013-2014
season as we would have liked, we still had many successes on and
off the ice,” says head coach Sean Fraser. “We have a
great group of young players that are committed and hard-working
and the future looks bright. We have all three goaltenders, all
eight defense and 11 of our 15 forwards back next season. The work
has already begun for next season and the Tigers will be
ready!”
Fraser was also very impressed with his rookies, adding that
“all 15 first-year players played important roles on our team
and gained a great deal of experience.”
Gone next year will be team captain and leading scorer
Fielding Montgomery, who led the team with nine goals, eight
assists and 17 points, as well as Megan O’Neill, who had
seven goals of her own this year.
First-year forward Lisa MacLean was a pleasant surprise for the
team this year as she provided instant offense, chipping in four
goals and seven assists in her first season with the black and
gold. She was a clutch performer when a game was on the line, as
she added a team-high two game-winning goals. Her success did not
go unnoticed as she was named to the AUS all-rookie team.
Another rookie, goaltender Jeanne Morin, who had a team-best
2.90 GAA and .923 save percentage, will get the opportunity to
represent her home country of France in the upcoming Women’s
World Championship of Hockey. By all indications, this year will
serve as a great building block for a young Tigers team that will
look to grow together and mature into the fast-paced AUS game.
