Dalhousie women’s hockey head coach Sean Fraser is pleased to announce Natalie Stanwood, Taylor Carr-Babineau and Keana Oshowy will be joining the Tigers for the 2017-18 season.
Natalie Stanwood will join the Tigers after two seasons in the NCAA with Bemidji State University in Minnesota. Before joining the Beavers, she played for the Pursuit of Excellence Hockey Academy in Kelowna, B.C., graduating in 2015.
A 5’4 defencewoman, Stanwood represented her home province at the 2015 Canada Winter Games in Prince George, B.C. and at the 2013 National Women’s U18 championship in Calgary, A.B.
“I am extremely excited to become a part of the Dalhousie community and Tigers family,” says Stanwood. “I am looking forward to contributing to the team’s success while focusing on my studies.”
A native of West Vancouver, Stanwood was a Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) all-academic team member and received a WCHA scholar athlete award. She was named to the Bemidji State University Dean’s List last season and will pursue a Bachelor of Arts at Dalhousie, with a focus on psychology.
“Having already played two years of university hockey, Natalie will bring some valuable leadership to our defence,” says Fraser. “She has all the tools to make her a very good defencewoman for us not only this year but also as a player we can build around moving forward.”
Taylor Carr-Babineau comes to the Tigers after three seasons with the Moncton Midget AAA Rockets. Their team captain this season, she led them to their third consecutive provincial championship title in March. The Rockets went on to win the Atlantic Championship in 2015, earning a berth at the national championship.
The 5’3 defencewoman has also played for Team New Brunswick’s U18 team at the Atlantic Championships the last two years, highlighted by a second-place finish in 2015.
“I cannot wait to play for the Tigers next season,” says Carr-Babineau. “I could not be more thankful to have the opportunity to continue to play the sport I love while furthering my education.”
An honour roll student, The Moncton, N.B. native will pursue a degree in kinesiology this fall.
“Taylor is an offensive defencewoman that makes smart decisions with and without the puck in all areas of the rink,” says Fraser. “She will be a very good addition to the back end for us.”
Joining Stanwood and Carr-Babineau is Woodbridge, O.N. native Keana Oshowy.
A 5’4 forward, Oshowy played Midget AA with the Etobicoke Dolphins of the Lower Lakes Female Hockey League (LLFHL) in the 2014-15 season before joining the Provincial Women’s Hockey League’s (PWHL) Etobicoke Junior Dolphins for the 2015-16 season.
She played her final PWHL season with the Burlington Junior Barracudas, collecting 13 goals and three assists last season.
“I am very excited to have the opportunity to grow as both a student and an athlete at Dalhousie,” says Oshowy. “I am thrilled to experience life on the East Coast and can’t wait to get started!”
An honour roll student, Oshowy will graduate from Bill Crothers Secondary School this June before pursuing a degree in political science this fall.
“Keana is a speedy forward with a real nose for the net,” says Fraser. “Her speed makes her an offensive threat every time she is on the ice.”
The Tigers finished the 2016-17 season with a regular season record of 7-16-1 and fell 2-0 in their AUS quarter-final round series to StFX.