St. Francis Xavier women's ice hockey
The St. Francis Xavier X-Women ice hockey team plays for St. Francis Xavier University, located in Antigonish, Nova Scotia. The team competes in the Atlantic University Sport (AUS) conference of U Sports where they were an inaugural varsity member of U Sports women's ice hockey in the 1997–98 season. Representing St. Francis Xavier Athletics, the X-Women have won the most AUS championships with 11 conference championship wins, most recently in 2020.[2]
| St. Francis Xavier X-Women ice hockey | |
|---|---|
 | |
| University | St. Francis Xavier University |
| Conference | AUS |
| Head coach | Ben Berthiuame Since 2014-15 season |
| Arena | Charles V. Keating Centre Capacity: 1500[1] |
| Location | Antigonish, Nova Scotia |
| Colors | Blue and White |
| Conference Tournament championships | |
| 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2020 | |
2010-11 season
During the 2010–11 season, the X-Women remained undefeated through the AUS regular schedule (24-0) and playoffs (3-0). The team won their first conference title since 2007–08. On March 14, 2011, the X-Women played in the national championship game for the first time. However, the squad was bested by the McGill Martlets in a 5–2 defeat.[3] The silver medal finish is the program's highest in the U Sports women's ice hockey championship tournament.
Recent results
Prior to the 2013–14 season, AUS teams played a round robin tournament with six teams split into two groups (two games played each). The winners of those games played for the AUS championship. Starting in 2013–14, the AUS had teams play three-game series with seeding with the AUS championship also being awarded after a three-game series. Canadian Interuniversity Sport changed its name to U Sports in 2016. With the addition of the UNB Reds for the 2018–19 season, all AUS teams went from playing 24 regular season games to playing 28 games.
The 2019-20 team won the AUS championship after finishing the regular season on a 12-game winning streak and finished 4–0 in the AUS playoffs. In the 2020 national championship, the X-Women were seeded third and defeated the Montreal Carabins in the quarterfinal.[4] However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada, the remainder of the tournament was cancelled, bringing a halt to a promising finish for the team.[4]
| Year | GP | W | L | OTL | PTS | Standing | Playoffs |
| 2010-11 | 24 | 24 | 0 | 0 | 48 | 1st | Won AUS Championship (9–2) vs. Moncton Lost CIS Championship (5–2) vs. McGill Martlets (2nd place finish) |
| 2011-12 | 24 | 20 | 4 | 0 | 40 | 1st | Finished with 0–2 record in AUS round robin |
| 2012-13 | 24 | 23 | 1 | 0 | 46 | 1st | Won AUS Championship (4–1) vs. Saint Mary's Won CIS Bronze Medal Game (3–2 OT) vs. Toronto (3rd place finish) |
| 2013-14 | 24 | 18 | 4 | 2 | 40 | 1st | Lost AUS Semi-Final vs. Mount Allison (1–2 series) |
| 2014-15 | 24 | 20 | 4 | 0 | 40 | 1st | Won AUS Championship vs. Moncton (2–0 series) Lost CIS Bronze Medal Game (2–1) vs. Montreal (4th place finish) |
| 2015-16 | 24 | 9 | 13 | 2 | 21 | 5th | Lost AUS Semi-Final vs. Saint Mary's (1–2 series) |
| 2016-17 | 24 | 16 | 8 | 0 | 32 | 3rd | Lost AUS Championship vs. Saint Mary's (1–2 series) |
| 2017-18 | 24 | 20 | 2 | 2 | 42 | 1st | Lost AUS Championship vs. Saint Mary's (1–2 series) Lost CIS Consolation Final (7–1) vs. Montreal (6th place finish) |
| 2018-19 | 28 | 18 | 9 | 1 | 39 | 2nd | Lost AUS Championship vs. St. Thomas (1–2 series) |
| 2019-20 | 28 | 22 | 5 | 1 | 45 | 2nd | Won AUS Championship vs. Saint Mary's (2–0 series) U Sports championship cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic[5] |
National award winners
- AUS Most Valuable Player: Brayden Ferguson (2007-08), Sarah Bujold (2016-17), Daley Oddy (2017-18), Tyra Meropoulis (2019-20)
- U Sports Rookie of the Year: Alex Normore (2010-11)
AUS award winners
- U Sports Player of the Year: Brayden Ferguson (2007-08), Alexa Normore (2011-12, 2012-13, 2013-14, 2014-15), Sarah Bujold (2016-17), Daley Oddy (2017-18), Tyra Meropoulis (2019-20)
- AUS Rookie of the Year: Abygail Laking (2009-10), Alex Normore (2010-11), Emerson Elliott (2017-18)
- AUS Most Sportsmanlike Player: Jill Bowie (2003-04), Suzanne Fenerty (2009-10), Taylor Dale (2014-15, 2015-16)
- AUS Top Defensive Player: Lydia Schurman (2019-20)
- AUS Student-Athlete Community Service Award: Colleen Wall (2004-05)
- AUS Coach of the Year: Frank Isherwood (1999-00, 2000-01), David Synishin (2003-04, 2004-05, 2007-08, 2012-13), Ben Berthiaume (2014-15, 2017-18)
International
| Player | Position | Event | Result |
| Jenna Downey[9] | Defense | 2011 Winter Universiade | Gold |
| Suzanne Fenerty | Defense | 2011 Winter Universiade | Gold |
References
- "Charles V. Keating Centre". St. Francis Xavier athletic teams. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
- "Atlantic University Sport Women's Hockey Past Champions". Atlantic University Sport. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
- "FINAL CIS championship: McGill completes perfect season by winning CIS Gold". U Sports. March 13, 2011.
- "X-Women national quarterfinal victory overshadowed by cancellation of championship". St. Francis Xavier Athletics. March 12, 2020.
- "U Sports hockey championships cancelled due to COVID-19 outbreak". Sportsnet. March 12, 2020.
- "Atlantic University Sport U Sports Women's Hockey Award Winners and all-Canadians". Atlantic University Sport. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
- "Awards Sport Awards". U Sports. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
- "Atlantic University Sport U Sports Women's Hockey Award Winners and all-Canadians". Atlantic University Sport. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-03-24. Retrieved 2011-07-20.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)