Tigers women’s hockey goalie Grace Beer has been selected to represent Canada at the 2025 Fédération Internationale du Sport Universitaire (FISU) Winter Games in Torino, Italy next month.
A third-year recreation student, Beer has made a U SPORTS-leading 475 saves in 14 games this season. She has a .956 save percentage this season, which is second best in U SPORTS.
“The focus, drive and determination Grace has shown during her time with us has been unmatched,” says Keifer House, Tigers women’s hockey head coach. “Her statistics speak for themselves but that are even more impressive when you factor in the number of games she's played and the shot volume she's faced. Her elite performance and consistency are very deserving of this opportunity.”
“We are proud to see Grace's hard work and dedication recognized with her selection to represent Canada at the FISU games,” says Cindy Tye, Dal's associate director athletics and recreation. “Her commitment to excellence and teamwork is a reflection of the standards she upholds and a credit to the program that has shown steady improvement the past couple seasons.”
Beer, of Oakville, Ont., was named an Atlantic University Sport (AUS) first team all-star in 2023-24 and was named a second team all-star and selected to the AUS all-rookie team in 2021-22.
I can’t wait to get on the ice and compete in Italy!
“I am incredibly excited and honoured to be selected to Team Canada’s roster for the 2025 FISU Winter Games,” says Beer. “It is an amazing opportunity to represent both Canada and Dalhousie on the international stage. I am deeply grateful for the support and encouragement from my coaches and Dalhousie’s athletics department. I can’t wait to get on the ice and compete in Italy!”
The Olympics for student-athletes
Staged every two years in a different city, the FISU World University Games are a celebration of international university sports and culture. With several thousand student-athletes competing in each edition (winter and summer), the FISU World University Games is among the world’s largest and most prestigious multi-sports competition.
Embracing FISU’s motto of ‘Excellence in Mind and Body,’ the FISU World University Games incorporate an educational aspect into the sports competitions, which allows university student-athletes to celebrate high sports performance while continuing their education with the local host city.
This is the second time in program history that a Tiger has been selected for a Canadian FISU women’s hockey team. Tigers alum Natalie Stanwood donned the red and white at the 2019 FISU Winter Universiade in Krasnoyarsk, Russia and brought home a silver medal. Over the years several Tigers have represented Canada at a FISU event in both the coach and athlete role.
The Canadians open the tournament on January 11 when they face Chinese Taipei. They wrap up their round robin play with Great Britan on January 13 and Slovakia on January 15. The semifinals are scheduled for January 18 followed by the medal games on January 20.
The Tigers will return to the ice after the holiday break on Friday, January 10 when they travel to Fredericton to face the St. Thomas Tommies. They continue the road trip with a game at UNB on Saturday followed by Moncton on Wednesday. The Tigers return to the Forum on Friday, January 17, hosting UPEI at 7pm.