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)