On a cold Wednesday night at 10 p.m. the Halifax Forum was alive with the sound of sticks clashing and skates cutting through the ice.
Two teams, one clad in yellow and the other in bright pink, took to the rink as they started their seventh game of the season. As the two teams warmed up it was obvious that The Pylons, an all girls team, were facing off against another predominantly much older male team in the university co-ed intramural league.
From the start, it was clear that there were physical differences between the two teams as anyone enrolled in Dalhousie from first year undergraduate to postgraduate students can play.
“Most of the teams are full of men. Like men, men. They’ve graduated university, or are in dentistry; all that stuff. They’re huge, and they’re strong; they’re fast, but I love that our team doesn’t give up, right?,” said Austin Thurlbeck, manager of The Pylons. “It’s a big challenge playing against guys that are faster than you and stronger than you and everything. Our team doesn’t give up, and it’s just amazing to see.”
Hockey is an intense sport that demands strength and speed; often male players have an edge in physical power and size compared to the female players.
“Obviously we are smaller girls and we are not as strong as the other guys and we don’t have as much experience as some of the guys who have been playing for a while,” said Abbey Tulk, a first-year student playing for The Pylons.
First-year student Sarah Viau with four minutes remaining in the third period had the lone bright spot a 8-1 loss to Kings of Queens, showing it was clear physical differences play a huge role in intramural sports. However, Thurlbeck remains confident the team has been and will continue to show improvement with each game.
“No matter how many games we may lose or how many goals we get scored on us, we keep trying and fighting to do well,” Thurlbeck said. “I love that our team never stops trying and we’re there not only to have fun but also fight.”
“I thought it would be a really good opportunity to meet new people and to continue my passion for hockey, ” says Tulk. “It’s so much fun, and everyone is welcome on the Pylons, it’s really not as scary as you might think it is.”
Dalhousie doesn’t just offer hockey intramurals, but it has all kinds of sports for different kinds of students. For example, first-year student Emily Lowthian is thinking of joining a intramural badminton league specifically for Dal’s marine biology students.
“I am very excited,” Lowthian said. “I don’t know much about badminton, but I think it will be a great way to get out of my shell and meet more people in my program.”
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