Written by Thomas Scott
After making the playoffs for the second straight season, the Dalhousie Tigers fell short in the AUS quarter-final and will enter a new season with many new faces.
The Tigers opened the season against the Mount Allison Mounties, winning in stunning fashion. Three Tigers had three points each on the night: Olvia Eustace, Kennedy Whelan and Regan Duffy. The Tigers won 8-1, outshooting the Mounties 39-16 and scoring on four powerplays.
After a fall of mixed results, the Tigers wone their last two games of the first semester over St. Thomas and Moncton.
“I thought we responded to the adversity that we were facing during the year pretty well,” says head coach Keifer House. “We're very resilient, which speaks to the players and how they conducted themselves.”
|
Dal’s goaltender, Grace Beer, is the backbone of the Tigers this season. She made the fifth most saves in the nation with a .938 save percentage, earning herself an all-star award on the AUS first team. “She's among the most elite goalies in the conference and the country. Having her back there gives the team much confidence,” says House. Beer’s most impressive game came in the second semester against the first-seeded STFX X-Women and, at the time, the fifth-ranked team in U SPORTS. The second-year recreation student made 56 saves on Jan. 31 at the Halifax Forum, shutting out STFX to clinch a playoff berth. Beer made several remarkable saves in the 1-0 victory, including a toe save in the final minute.
|
After dropping a 4-0 decison to UNB in their penultimate game, the Tigers rediscovered their goal-scoring against the UPEI Panthers in a 5-4 victory. Mackenzie Drake scored two goals in the win and tallied an assist for a three-point night. Dal scored four unanswered goals to finish the game.
After finishing 13-14-1 this year and sixth in the conference, the Tigers lost a hard-fought series against SMU, losing game one 2-0 and game two 4-0. The Tigers will look to bounce back for next season after making the playoffs two seasons in a row.
The Tigers featured some of the premier offensive players in the conference. Eustace finished fourth in the conference in goals, scoring 15 in 28 games. Along with 10 assists, the third-year neuroscience forward tallied 25 points this season.
Forward Brooklyn Paisley is 13th in the conference in points. The fifth-year psychology major totalled 21 points in 27 games this season, two points off her career high last season.
The Tigers are graduating 10 players including Eustace, Whelan, and Paisley. House is confident in the new leadership group and team he will head into next season with.
“We're going to miss that leadership,” says House. “At the same time, it’s a great opportunity for some of our returning players to step into different roles and assume some more responsibility.”
Emma Penner and Natasha Falk will be part of the leadership group, with the rest to be determined.
“I think the leadership group will be in good hands,” says House.
House became the interim head coach early in the season after Troy Ryan took over Toronto’s PWHL team. House, now announced as head coach of the Tigers, will provide the team with more stability through the new season.
|
|
“It takes some of the uncertainty out of the equation. That will probably be the best part of it,” says House. “It wasn’t easy for anyone, but the team was very resilient.” Beer was named the team’s MVP while graduating senior Sydni Bird was named the Tiger of the Year. Abby Wamboldt, Mackenzie Drake, Allison Hood, Lexie Small, and Emma Penner all earned their three-year D award this year. |