By Dalhousie Gazette Staff
Men’s basketball
Simon Farine will lead the Tigers back into the playoffs hoping to relive last years surprising playoff run, which saw the Tigers win their first AUS Championship since 1996. The competition is stiffer this time round with an undefeated St. FX team and a powerful University of Cape Breton team, both hungry for national championship standing between the Tigers and consecutive AUS title. The Dal team has the talent to go all the way, and is ranked 10th overall in Canada.
Women’s basketball
The women’s team hasn’t clinched a playoff berth yet, but of the two remaining spots, the battle is between the University of New Brunswick and Acadia University. Both trail Dalhousie by six points for the final spot, leaving Dal’s postseason all but assured.
Barring any major upsets, Dal will face St. Francis Xavier in the quarter-finals. The two teams have met three times this season with St. FX winning two reasonably close games and Dal coming away with a 73-58 win in January.
Dal will look to veteran stars Cailin Crosby, April Scott and the Girdwood twins to best the X-Women and 2008-2009 defensive player of the year Ashley Stephen. The Tigers have two road games against The University of Prince Edward Island and Acadia to play before heading to Sydney, Cape Breton for the AUS Championships Feb. 26 to Feb. 28.
Men’s hockey
The hockey team has missed the playoffs by a single point making 2010 the sixth-straight year the Tigers have missed the postseason, but almost certainly the last. Coach Pete Belliveau continues to stock his roster with talented recruits as the he rebuilds the Dal hockey program. Playing in the best varsity hockey league in Canada the ever-improving Tigers are expected to make a big splash in 2010-2011. Students returning next September can look forward to hockey playoffs next spring. Belliveau has taken every team he’s coached to a national championship. Dal’s time is coming.
Women’s hockey
Led by top-scorer Jocelyn LeBlanc, who has 16 goals and 13 assists in 17 games, this season the women’s hockey team is poised to make a solid play-off run in 2010. Team captain Laura Shearer leads all blue-liners in the league with 15 points and goalie Ashley Boutilier holds a respectable .902 save percentage going into the final stretch of the regular season. The women’s final home game of the season will be Sunday, Feb. 21, at 2 p.m.
Men’s volleyball
They’ve won 23 consecutive AUS titles dating back to 1987 and are ranked second in Canada, but the question surrounding the Dal men’s volleyball team is: Can they bring home a National championship? With 23 years of championships in Atlantic Canada, an AUS title in 2010 is not only expected – it’s also not good enough.
Joel Tichinoff
Sports Editor
Women’s volleyball
The women’s team has snuck into the playoffs with six wins and 11 losses, good enough for a .353 win percentage. The Tigers are going to have to find a way to win, and win consistently, if they have any hope for a significant playoff run. Win or lose, the future is bright for this volleyball team with a roster full of promising talent. 2010 will only be the first of many post-season runs for this team. The pressure for a championship will rise as this team matures.
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