Year of the Dalhousie Tiger
Edited by Carmen Tam
Women's Soccer
The 1994 season for the Dalhousie Varsity Women's Soccer Team would prove to be a season filled with hard work, excitement, emotion and a C.l.A.U. National Championship.
The AUAA final was played against the Acadia Axettes in front of a very loud Wolfville crowd, and proved to be very exciting, entertaining and emotionally charged. After regulation play and two overtime periods, the game was still scoreless, leaving the AUAA championship to be decided by penalty kicks. The game was finally decided on the tenth kicker, when Dana Holmes scored for Dalhousie and the Acadia shooter was stopped by Leahanne Turner. Dalhousie had won the AUAA Championship for the second consecutive year and now where off to the Nationals.
Dalhousie's first game was played against Western Ontario. The team put in a very solid effort, as Kate Gillespie scored both goals to lead Dalhousie to a 2-0 victory.
The next day the team played the host U. of A. Dal was somewhat flat in their performance, however Holmes scored for the Tigers and it was not until 2 minutes from time that the U. of A. replied with a goal of their own. The game ended in a 1-1 draw.
Due to Dalhousie's better record in their pool, they were in the CIAU final for a second consecutive year, once again facing UBC. During regulation time Jane Walton and Holmes scored for Dalhousie, while UBC scored twice in the first five minutes of the second half. At the end of regulation time the score was tied 2-2. The score was still tied at the end of two overtime periods and once more the teams would be heading into penalty shots. However, unlike last year where it went to the 11th shooter, the championship was decided on the 6th shooter, when Karen Hood placed her shot into the goal and the next UBC shooter hit the post and the ball stayed out.
This marks the very first National Championship for Dalhousie Women's Soccer Program and it is a credit to the terrific young women/players on the team.
This year sees the departure of 5th year players Carla Perry - two time All-Canadian, National tournament MVP, AUAA All-Star(s), AUAA MVP ('93); Team Captain, Dana Holmes- All Canadian ('93), AUAA All-Star(s), National tournament All-Star; and Allison Sears ... on behalf of the University, the team and the staff, many thanks for your contribution to the program. Success will follow all of you!
Hockey
Despite entering the 1994-95 Atlantic University Hockey Conference season missing 8 key players from last season, the hockey Tigers were determined to carry on a strong winning tradition which had seen them enjoy 5 consecutive 20+ win seasons. A solid core of returning players and an outstanding group of new Tigers gave coaches Darrell Young, Kim Houston, and Trevor Stienburg reason for optimism as they prepared for another competitive A.U.H.C. season.
Dalhousie would lose only their second game of the year in December and finished the first half of the A.U.H.C. season with a 10-2-1 record and the nation's #l ranking. Stephen Maltby, Keifer House, Danny Bousquet, and Kevin Meisner were all amongst the league scoring leaders and the goaltending trio of Greg Dreveny, Steve Pottie, and Randolph (Randy) MacLean was tops in the league.
Once again, the Tigers met crosstown rival Saint Mary's in the Kelly Division semifinals. The Tigers would not disappoint as they smoked Saint Mary's in two straight games to advance to the Kelly Division final.
Playing against three-time defending champion Acadia, the Tigers rocked Dalhousie Memorial Arena by defeating Acadia 6-3 in the first game. Despite a valiant effort, the Tigers' season would end with two close losses at Acadia.
Individually, the highlight came on November 5th when Meisner became the All Time top scoring defenceman in the history of Dalhousie Hockey. He finished his memorable career with 143 points. As well, House capped an outstanding comeback season in which he had 25 goals and 50 points by making the A.U.H.C. All Star team.
Men's Basketball
The 1994-95 season for the men's basketball team was one of the best in recent memory. The team finished the season with an overall record of 22-9, including 15-5 in the conference, good enough for first place.
Shawn Plancke, Reggie Oblitey and Jeff Mayo made the all-conference second-team.
The Tigers also won the Pepsi Rod Shoveller Memorial Tournament for the first time, beating MCI Huskies 80-78 in the final.
The season came to an end in the AUAA semifinal when the Tigers lost to the eventual champions, the UCCB Capers 75-69.
The future of the Tigers is very bright. Tim McGarrigle has a year under his belt and everyone is eligible to return next year. Mayo just played out his third year of eligibility along with Plancke, David Reynolds, Kevin Bellamy, and Oblitey, while Clive Henry and Christian Currie both have three years left.
Women's Basketball
The 1994-95 Tigers started the season with a huge victory over the 4th ranked University of Western Ontario. Although the squad only had four returning players, this victory suddenly placed high expectations on the Tigers as legitimate contenders for the AUAA title.
The four veterans, Jennifer Clark, Jennifer Offman, Kathie Sanderson, and Carolyn Wares, led the Tigers to their fine performance over the season.
The Tigers finished the season with a 15-5 record and won the AUAA league title which gave them the right to host the AUAA Championships. In the first game of the championship, the Tigers were defeated by 4th place Memorial University, who then went on to win the AUAA Championships. The Tigers placed three players on the AUAA All-Star team. Wares was a first team all star and Clark and Sanderson were second team all-stars.
Men's Soccer
The 1994-95 men's soccer season was an agonizing reminder of how close the Tigers are to the best teams in the country. Dalhousie challenged for top bidding in the AUAA all season, before dropping their final regular-season game and settling for third place.
Their strong regular-season play meant that head coach Ian Kent's squad would be tough to beat in the play-offs. First up in Antigonish were our cross-town rivals, the Saint Mary's Huskies. After regulation time was finished, the score was tied at 3- 3, with Dal's scores coming from Robbie Sawler, Chad Denny, and David MacFarlane. Overtime solved nothing and it was on to the fan favourite shoo tout format. Tiger snipers Francis MacKinnon, Marc Rainford, Mark Mouat, Tony Pignatiello and Chris Devlin all made no mistake, driving the ball past the defenceless SMU keeper. At our end, Tiger Keeper Trevor Chisolm stopped one of the four Huskies' shots that he faced, giving the Tigers a berth in the final.
The Tigers faced the strong host team, the St. FX X-Men. Pignatiello was the only Tiger to pierce the X-Men's armour, but St. FX only beat Antigonish native Chisolm once also, thereby setting the stage for overtime. There, in the extra frame, where the unexpected and the bizarre are often the norm, X-Man Ron Whalen scored. To a distant observer, it was bad luck and disappointing for the Tigers, but nothing more. However, there is more there than what first meets the eye. That goal was Whalen's first in his five-year career. Chalk one up to (bad) timing.
Thus, the Tigers' season ended to the tune of a 2-1 OT loss to the X-Men. On the individual pedestal this year for the Tigers were Pignatiello and Chisolm, both of whom were named AUAA all-stars.
Men's Cross Country
The fall season began with enough talent on campus to dominate in the AUAA but there seemed never to be a day when everyone was able to run.
Returnees Chris Halfyard, Brent Workman, Gary Newell, Jason Bocarro, Grant Murray and Gil Korn could have repeated as champions if it had not been for long-term injuries to the latter three, which prevented each of them from competing at all.
Newcomer transfer Rorri Currie was instrumental m retaining the AUAA team championship and proved to be the story of the CIAU's. Freshmen Trevor Boudreau, Graham Cobb and cross country skiing star Brian May covered well for the injured runners mentioned above.
The team managed to win all four AUAA races including the championship but was continually challenged by perennial power UNB and improved teams from Memorial and St. F. X.
Joel Bourgeois of UdeM and Currie ran a relaxed one-two at the AUAA's knowing that a competitive CIAU's was just one week away. Rorri dominated the CIAU's from the start, breaking the very strong field wide open in the first 2k of the 10km race. By 7.5km Rorri had built the lead to 100 metres and looked very strong. The next km was unkind to Rorri as he paid for the torrid pace of a record-breaking first 5km. Currie was passed with 1km to go, but he held on to earn the silver.
The Dal team placed seventh to match their pre-meet ranking.
Women's Track and Field
The season was short but the results magnificent. A trip to Toronto on February 4th indicated the development of Paula Peters in the 600m and the strength of Tracey Hoskin and Rayleen Hill at 1500m and 3000m. The 4x400m relay team won easily also.
The AUAA's was even more convincing as Dal won every event but the shot put and placed second there. One-two results were realized in most track events and the jumps. Ten athletes qualified for ClAU's.
Real glory came at the ClAU's with Paula controlling the strong field in the 600m against three former gold and silver winners, finishing at 1:31.30, a personal best (PB) by 1.64 seconds. Tracey Hoskin PB'd in the 1000m and Ann Sinclair had her best jump ever at 1.68m, which equalled the second best at the championship but she placed fourth on a countback of misses. The young 4x200 team of Terri Baker, Andrea Blois, Marsha Moore and Tara MacLellan placed seventh with a N. S. record.
This race characterized the whole team - talent, depth, team spirit and the ability to rise to a challenge.
Men's Track and Field
This team dominated the AUAA like none other. The exciting meet showed the team's depth, balance and youth. Troy Bezanson, Peter Bienkowski, George Inglis, Ian Blenkhom, Trevor Boudreau, Nick Soh, Derek Crocker and Scott Oliver are a group of first year performers that can dominate AUAA's but can rise to the level of CIAU medal winners if they make the decisions to do so. Gary Newell and Leigh (Rat) Winchester were other performers of note.
We won the AUAA's without our traditional middle distance strength. With the development of the youth in the sprints and jumps, this team could make a splash at the CIAU's. Watch for it.
Men's Swimming
The 1994-95 Men's Varsity Tigers rode the previous season's legacy of momentum with a combination of experienced veterans and talented rookies to claim their twentieth consecutive winning AUAA dual meet season.
At the Dalhousie-hosted 1995 AUAA Swimming Championships, the Tigers captured the team title that had eluded them for four years. Despite winning just five of the meets 19 events, the Black and Gold claimed a true team victory with 196 points, four ahead of UNB's 192.
Ian Jackson earned recognition as AUAA Male Swimmer of the Yea rand freshman Steve MacDonald claimed Rookie of the Year honours.
Five swimmers qualified to compete at the 1995 CIAU Championships at Laval University in Quebec City and all contributed to the teams 11th place finish. They were led by the performances of fifth year veteran Sean Andrews and Ian Jackson. Of further note are the thirty-eight swims by Sean Andrews, P.J. Cowan, Mark DeJong, Jarrett Doucette, Shawn Dupuis, Steve Indig, Ian Jackson, Andrew Kirby, Dave LeBlanc, Steve MacDonald, Curt Punchard, Greg Rasmussen, and Ed Stewart, which made the Dal All-Time Top-Ten performance ranking list.
Men's Volleyball
The 1994-95 Tiger Volleyball T earn should be remembered for their steady progress throughout the season, capped by a second consecutive bronze medal performance at the CIAU's.
In AUAA league play, the Tigers posted a perfect 10-0 record before capturing their fifteenth AUAA Championship in the last sixteen years.
An exceptional season was climaxed with outstanding play at the '95 CIAU Nationals. In the quarter finals, the fourth ranked Tigers squeaked by Saskatchewan in five sets before putting up their best match in three years against eventual champions Manitoba in the semifinals. For the third year in a row, Alberta was Dal's final opponent at the CIAU's and as they did last year, the Tigers once again claimed the bronze in a long, closely contested match.
Overall, the determination of the veteran players combined with steady progress from an equally resolute group of younger players made for a very satisfying and rewarding season.
Women's Volleyball
The Dalhousie Women's Volleyball Team experienced the most successful year of recruiting in Leslie lrie's 4 years as head coach. The 1994-95 Tigers were filled with optimism as they placed 2nd in the season's first exhibition tournament, the UNB Invitational.
AUAA women's volleyball has become more competitive, especially in the last two years. This year was undoubtedly the most competitive as the last playoff spot was not decided until the final league match.
Unfortunately, the Tigers' 8-8 record left them out of the playoffs.
Individual highlights went to co-captain Kim Sheppard, as she was m AUAA 2nd team all-star and a tournament all-star at the Universite d'Ottawa Invitational. Dalhousie's Cherie Campbell was honoured as AUAA Rookie of the Year.
Women's Swimming
The 1994-95 Women's Swim Team, a blend of six returning athletes and ten rookies, achieved its sixteenth consecutive winning AUAA dual meet season to bring the Tigers cumulative record to 105-8 for the same period.
Tiger rookie Kirsten Taberner was the first in the AUAA to qualify for the '95 CIAU's in a dual meet with McGill University in Montreal. The annual pre-Christmas double session dual meet with the strong Halifax Trojan Aquatic Club saw worthwhile competition and a CIAU qualifying performance by Sarah Woodworth in the 800 Freestyle.
The Tigers entered the Dal hosted AUAA Invitational and topped UNB.
At the Dalhousie-hosted 1995 AUAA Swimming Championships, the Tigers relinquished their four year hold on the team title after an extremely hard-fought struggle with eventual victors UNB.
The performances of Kirsten Matthews, Gail Seipp and Erin Malone, who set a new team record in the 50 Butterfly, earned tickets to CIAU's.
At the CIAU Championships at Laval University, the Tigers were again led by the performance of co-captain Woodworth. All five swimmers contributed to the team's 11th place finish, matching the men's team in position and points.
Taberner claimed AUAA Rookie of the Year honours.
Of further significance are the thirty-five swims by Stacey Connick, Fiona Ellis, Lisa Hughes, Malone, Matthews, Corey Minter, Sarah Nelson, Amanda Ross, Setrp, Taberner, Tara Weber, and Woodworth, which made the Dalhousie All-Time Top-Ten performance ranking list.
First published in the Dalhouise Gazette vol 127, iss 23 on March 30, 1995