The 2017-18 Dalhousie Tigers women’s hockey team has found a strong balance of young talent and senior leadership that has been on display in the team’s first two games of the regular season. Strong recruiting by head coach Sean Fraser, has provided an immediate offensive boost to the team.
Among the notable additions to the squad is Ottawa, Ontario native, Autumn Moors. Moors showcased her offensive skills at the Tigers homecoming game this past weekend by scoring two goals, one of them coming from a beautiful move on a breakaway.
Two other first-year Tigers, Keana Oshowy (Woodbridge, ON) and Ariana Pinchuk (Sherwood Park, AB), were able to find the back of the net in that homecoming game.
“It is great to have our new players contribute, as it builds confidence within our team,” says Fraser. “We added depth with our recruiting class and we are confident that any one of our players has the ability to contribute to our success on any given night.”
The Tigers have also received offensive support from their veteran players including Tara Morning, Corinne Desjardins, and fifth-year captain Lisa MacLean. Morning and MacLean have picked up exactly where they left off last season as the top two scorers on the team, with MacLean being in the top 10 in the AUS scoring race.
The combination of veterans playing alongside young players continues between the pipes with second-year Fabiana Petricca and fourth-year Jessica Severeyns sharing the net-minding duties thus far.
“We seem to have good chemistry early on and a team that has a common goal,” Fraser continued. “Having balance throughout our line-up is important and should make us harder to play against.”
The Tigers seem primed to improve on a 7-16-1 record from the regular season last year, as well as make a run into the playoffs in a very tough AUS conference. Last season they finished 0-2 in the playoffs in a series against StFX.
Fraser spoke of goals that were set for the upcoming season.
“We always set goals as a team, but we do take things one game at a time. We wanted to get off to a better start than in the past, but it is a long season.”
The Tigers continue their hot start to the season on Friday when they travel to Moncton and will be back on home ice for their Pink in the Rink game Wednesday, October 25 against Saint Mary’s at 7pm.