There’s no way to sugarcoat it. It’s been a tough 2013 for the Dalhousie Tigers men’s hockey team.

The team has been ravaged by injuries to key players and has simply been outplayed and outgunned many times this year, while some games have simply slipped out of their grasp in the final minutes.

The Tigers offense has seemed anemic at times, and is last in the AUS with 1.86 goals per game. Their haven’t been able to get things going on the power play, either, only capitalizing on 10.3% of their chances, also an AUS-low.

The year began on a high note with the Tigers winning the Don Wells Invitational, with a 5-3 victory over Saint Mary’s and a thrilling 4-3 overtime win against StFX to win the tournament.

The team then went on a road trip to Ontario and New England for a three-game swing against Carleton, Northeastern University and the University of Maine-Orono. Unfortunately, the Tigers fell in all three contests, hampered by sickness and injuries.

The team finished up their preseason with a loss against UPEI before defeating Brock University, and with a 3-1 record in September, looking to improve on last year’s 8-17-3, seventh place finish.

The Tigers opened their regular season with a 5-1 loss to UPEI on October 18, where they were outshot 38 to 22 and went 0-7 on the power play, while UPEI scored three power play goals on seven attempts.

The team went 0-9-1 in the first ten games of the season, with the lone overtime loss coming against StFX on November 1.

The team’s first regular season win didn’t come until November 20 against Saint Mary’s. Although the Tigers were outshot 43-26, they made their scoring chances count and opened up a three-goal lead going into the third period. Saint Mary’s would add a goal in the third, but the Tigers finally held on for their first win.

Since the lone victory, the Tigers have gone 0-5 and now sit 1-12-1 and are last in the AUS going into the holiday break.

Chris Ivanko leads the Tigers in scoring thus far, with seven goals and four assists in 14 games.

The Tigers will face an uphill battle in the second half of the season as they try to turn it around to make the playoffs. They begin 2014 with a road game against UPEI on January 3.