It has been a tough couple of seasons for the Dalhousie men’s hockey team who has failed to make the playoffs since the 2010-2011 campaign. With the new AUS season just underway, the Tigers will look to improve on a 7-20-1 record, which left them left three points outside the playoff picture last year.
Three games into the season, the Tigers have yet to win but Chris Donnelly’s young squad has showed promise, battling to a 3-2 defeat to the second best team in the nation, the UNB Varsity Reds. There will definitely be some growing pains for the Tigers this season with 20 players on the roster who are in their first or second year of CIS eligibility.
The inexperienced team will have to learn fast if they want any chance of making the playoffs in the powerhouse AUS. Currently in the CIS top 10 rankings, four of the AUS conference’s eight teams have made the cut.
The Tigers will need to find a way to manufacture goals this year, as they were few and far between last season. The team is returning two of their top scorers in Fabian Walsh and Andrew Wigginton who will be relied on heavily to fill the back of the net.
Starting goalie Corbin Boes has looked good thus far despite subpar numbers. After three starts this season Boes has a 4.13 GAA and .895 save percentage, which is oddly similar to last years 3.95 GAA and .895 save percentage. Boes will likely get the majority of the starts this season with Wendell Vye and Joe Gladnick vying for their time between the posts.
Defensively, the Tigers lost a big piece of the puzzle in Ben MacAskill who ate up large minutes for the team and played on both special team units. Outside of MacAskill the majority of the defensive core is returning including Matt English, Wes Herrett, Luke Madill, Patrick Arnold and Brendan Duke.
Making the playoffs is a realistic goal in an AUS playoff structure that sends six of the top eight teams to the postseason. The Tigers will likely battle for the last two spots with the likes of St Thomas, Moncton and UPEI similar to last season.
On Wednesday, October 21st the boys have their first chance to win on home ice. They will be in tough hosting the CIS number three- ranked Acadia Axemen at the Halifax Forum.