Exhibition schedule opens poorly for Dal

Women’s hockey falters in 7 – 1 opener

For the Tigers, it’s a good thing this was only a preseason game.

The Dalhousie women’s hockey team showed they’ll need a little time to get up to speed last Saturday afternoon at Memorial Arena, suffering a 7 – 1 loss at the hands of St. FX in their first exhibition game.

Displaying the calibre of play that granted them first place in the league last season, St. FX showed no signs of slowing down, scoring early and often. They jumped to a 4 – 1 lead by the end of the first period, and scored one further in the second period and the final two tallies in the third.

The Tigers also fell 10 – 1 the next day in a home-and-home series against St. FX.

The X return this season with a majority of their championship team. Although they weren’t title-bound last winter, the Tigers have also maintained their core as only one player graduated, captain Laura Shearer. The team had a shuffle behind the bench, however, as Sean Fraser was promoted to head coach after a six-year stint as assistant.

The takeaway for the home team from this opening game was not all negative though.

“We have a few kinks to work out,” said Dal forward Rebecca Smyth, as she spoke of the experience gained from facing a top-tier team such as St. FX and learning from them.

Fraser echoed her sentiments, saying his team has “work to do,” but he acknowledged the roster had only been set three days prior to the game and thus they were unable to fully iron out their schematics.

Tigers rookie goaltender Brittany McMacken was not too fazed by Saturday’s game, mentioning that just because it was a preseason game does not mean it was taken lightly. “We win as a team, and we lose as a team,” she said.

The Tigers were missing veteran defenceman Alyssa Hennigar from the contest, who was out with an injury. She figures to be a big part of Dal’s on-ice performance this year.

St. FX’s Janelle Parent led the game with four points, counting two goals and two assists. Dal’s lone goal was scored by Jocelyn LeBlanc.

The women’s hockey team is in New Brunswick Sept 30 – Oct. 1 for the preseason Moncton Invitational. The regular season commences in Antigonish Friday, Oct. 14 against the X-Women.