Puck set to drop on women's hockey championships

Following a stressful and slippery season on the ice, the Dalhousie women's hockey team will be hosting the Subway Atlantic University Sport championships, a high-energy battle of slapshots and stickwork that kicks off today.

Running from March 1 to 4, the championship sees the top six Atlantic teams duking it out for a chance to be crowned the cream of the crop of university hockey.

Although Dalhousie is ranked sixth, the team is ferociously determined, most recently roaring back in overtime against rivals Moncton—who are ranked second in the league—to pull off a surprising victory.

"Winning that game was very important for our confidence," says team captain Liz Matheson. "Especially with it being so close to the upcoming playoffs. We have always been close with Moncton, and so winning that game helped us to realize that we do in fact have the ability to beat them, not just put up a good fight."

While they're heading into the championships at the bottom of the tier, the team is surprisingly optimistic and adamant that its track record this season is no indication of the perseverance and talent of the team.

Hard work, perseverance

"The team we have this year is amazing," says assistant captain Jocelyn LeBlanc, who is currently leading the team in points. "It's funny, we've lost like nine one-goal games... and it's not representative of the team at all. We're all working incredibly hard this year and this is one of the best teams I've had the privilege of being involved with.”

"We have experienced a lot of ups and downs as a team," says Ms. Matheson. "The first semester was a rough start for us, we had to deal with some big changes in our lineup, as well as changes within our coaching staff. It kind of feels as though we have been fighting an uphill battle all season but with our results as of late it makes it all worthwhile."

The team is looking forward to giving it their all.

"We've won our last three games, and I already feel the team becoming stronger. I feel like we're peaking at exactly the right time," says Ms. LeBlanc.

"I think our chances for the AUS are the best they have ever been," says Ms. Matheson. "The league this year has been very competitive, but we've made huge improvements as a team and have the ability to compete with any team in this league. It seems that most games this year, between all teams, have been unpredictable. AUS is obviously the most important time of the year, but we have been working incredibly hard towards it."

Games all weekend

All games will take place at Dalhousie’s Memorial Arena and will be webcast online at www.ssncanada.ca. Start times are 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. daily Thursday through Saturday, with the championship game on Sunday, March 4 at 2 p.m. Dalhousie students receive free admission with their student ID.Day passes will be available at the ticket gate for adults ($8), seniors 65+ ($7), students ($6), and children under 12 ($4). Tournament passes cost $25 for adults, $20 for seniors 65+, $15 for students and $10 for children under 12.

For the full schedule and more information, visit the Athletics website.