Calgary Dinos Roll vs. Alberta, Will Host the Huskies in the Mitchell Bowl

Eric Glavic will host his former team in round two of the Dinos Vs. Huskies next weekend

This game was close for only so long. The Calgary Dino’s were hungry for the victory and it showed. They came out and to simply put it, destroyed the Alberta Golden Bears in every aspect.

Calgary came out of the gates with a very aggressive offence attack as the Dino’s busted off a huge drive with long runs and settled for a field goal to start it off.

The Dino’s defense was then able to shut down the Bears offence all game as they were unable to score an offensive touchdown or field goal.


The rushing game was key all day as the Dino’s kept pounding the ball with Anthony Woodson and Matt Walter with each 79 yards and 1 Touchdown on the ground.

Anthony Parker had a great day with help on the kickoff returns and 2 TD’s through the air.

The Alberta Golden Bears who had a magnificent comeback victory over the Saskatchewan Huskies had nothing left in the tank. They came out looking flat and slow. They were out hustled and were slowly beat down by the consistent Dino’s attack. Mid way through the 2nd quarter there was just a drop off in the intensity shown by the Bears.

5th year Quarterback Eric Glavic had a field day going 14-18 for 270 yards and 4 TD’s. Glavic will be facing his old team again for the second year in a row as the Calgary Dino’s will face off against the St. Mary’s Huskies next week.

Armaan Ahluwalia writes for the Dal Gazette and the blogsite, www.1inthestands.wordpress.com. Follow Armaan on twitter @therealbrindian

Loney Bowl Saturday in Halifax; Huskies Look to Defend AUS Crown Without Jahmeek Taylor

Huskies Quarterback Micah Brown will play in his first Loney Bowl this weekend.

(photo credit: Joe Chrmala)

by Bill McLean

As a wacky season of AUS football draws to a conclusion this Saturday at Huskies Stadium, leave it to the Huskies to provide one more bizarre twist to what has become the most challenging season of Head Coach Steve Sumarah’s regime.

Monty Mosher of the Chronicle Herald reported tonight that three Huskies players have been suspended by Sumarah, including the conference’s Most Outstanding Player, Jahmeek Taylor.

Taylor has been the impetus behind the Huskies revival after a disastrous September, electrifying fans and media with breathtaking kick returns and accumulating 1439 all purpose yards in the process.

Just as pundits and observers were safely penciling in the Huskies to go to the Mitchell Bowl, the suspension of Taylor now leaves many of questions still unanswered in this crazy season of AUS football.

Can Acadia stay within three touchdowns of this unstoppable juggernaut that the Huskies have become? Can the Huskies beat anyone outside the AUS? How did Jeff Cummins get four regular season wins and a Loney Bowl appearance out of this Axemen team? Has Steve Sumarah righted the good ship Husky and does he have his team on pace for a grueling battle on the plains of

Alberta or Saskatchewan in the Mitchell Bowl?

All shall be revealed in the next ten days, beginning on Saturday with what has become an annual ritual of the fall varsity season in Halifax; the Loney Bowl at the Stadium.

The Axemen come in to the game hot off the heels of an overtime semi-final victory over the Mount Allison Mounties on a mud soaked turf in Sackville. The Axemen persevered vs. Gary Ross, Jake Hotchkiss, an undeterred Mounties home crowd, and a terrentual down pour that turned the playing field into a scene from some cheesy Hollywood football movie from the eighties.

The Axemen have been underestimated all year long by media and fans alike, but now stand only one victory away from an AUS championship.

The only problem is that the one victory would mean beating the Huskies in Halifax, which would seem akin to the chances of Mavs Gillis playing Point Guard for the Halifax Rainmen.

Since a brutal September on and off the field, Saint Mary’s has won five games in a row vs. AUS opponents, outscoring their divisional foes 193-45.

After losing 17-7 in the season opener in Wolfville, the Huskies have outscored Acadia 66-10 in two meetings since.

Not only has Saint Mary’s established themselves as the favorite to win the AUS championship, they’ve gone on a five week run that would rival the Huskies teams of the Blake Nill era.

Sumarah has reminded Huskies fans why he was the 2009 CIS Coach of the Year by systematically making one critical adjustment at a time, propelling the Huskies from the nation’s most disappointing team to a Vanier Cup contender.

QB Micah Brown has become the conferences best game manager and Craig Legere was the leading rusher in the AUS. The Huskies defense has overwhelmed opponents with speed and athleticism, and placekicker Brett Lauther has come out of nowhere to give Saint Mary’s a very suitable replacement for the departed Justin Palardy.

If Acadia is to have a chance they’ll need to withstand the initial charge of the Huskies in the first quarter. Saint Mary’s will come out of the tunnel looking to put the game away early and intimidate with their superior athleticism. If the Axemen can withstand this initial onslaught,

Jeff Cummin's hard working group of overachievers may just pull out the upset.

The weather on Saturday afternoon in the South End of Halifax is expected to be unseasonably warm, with sunny skies throughout the day. Not good news for Acadia if you believe in the assertion that poor weather games benefit the less talented team.

Game time at Huskies Stadium is 1:00. If you can’t make it to the stadium, Eastlink will be carrying the game.

Predictions from the Haligonia Sports Team

Mavs Gillis, voice of the Huskies on Haligonia webcasts: SMU 32 Acadia 21
Steve Betts, on field MC of the Huskies at the Stadium: SMU 36 Acadia 14
Henry Whitfield, the future of Bill McLean Sports Show on ckdu 88.1 FM: SMU 24 Acadia 10
Bill McLean, voice of the Dalhousie Tigers on ssncanada.ca: SMU 35 Acadia 8
Armaan Ahluwalia, writer for the Dalhousie Gazette, SMU 38 Acadia 13

Haligonia Sports is the webcasting home of the Saint Mary’s Huskies, Metro Marauders, and Halifax Rainmen. Follow us on twitter @haligoniasports

Loney Bowl Preview; Axemen Vs. Huskies

Jahmeek Taylor and the Huskies are poised for a trip to the Mitchell Bowl next weekend

by Armaan Ahluwalia (Twitter: @therealbrindian)

It is finally here, the AUS championship is set to take place between Acadia Axe Men
and the St. Mary’s Huskies. This week eight rematch will have the Axe Men travelling to the extremely hostile Huskies Stadium. The tales of these two teams have been very different as both have taken very different roads to the final.

The St. Mary’s Huskies have got back to the final again, but it was not the way they planned. The Huskies were the odds on favourites to go undefeated this season against a very weak AUS field. The season did not start off well for the Huskies. With an early 17-7 loss to the Axe Men and a crushing 45-10 defeat at the hands of Laval. Things were not starting well for the Huskies as they managed to go 0-3 to start the 2010 season.

Then there was the removal of Quarterback Jack Creighton who decided to not play football anymore. Steve Sumarah then gave the reigns to new Quarterback Micah Brown. Brown came in and looked a little shaky but managed to help get the Huskies back on track
winning the next five games easily. They managed to outscore their five opponents by a total of 193 to 39 in that five game stretch.

This dominant form from the Huskies has been amazing and has really shown how much better they are then the rest of the conference. With the help of AUS all stars: Dan Schutte (DT), Jeff Hecht (LB), Mark Holden (DB), Fraser Vrenjak (CB), Adam Baboulas (T), Jahmeek Taylor (WR & Returner), Kevin Walsh (WR), and Craig Leger (RB) they have destroyed the teams.

The Acadia Axe Men have taken a different road to the finals. They started their campaign off with a surprising victory over the Huskies. They then lost to Bishops on the road, but came back the following week with a victory over the X-men to start the season 2-1. Things were looking good as Quarterback Kyle Graves was in form and rolling. Things after that great start, turned for the worse. They managed to go 2-3 and finish in 3rd place just behind the Mount Allison Mounties.

They went into Mount Allison for the AUS semi final game and came out of Mount Allison with a win in the thick mud. They managed to do it in overtime with a 22-14 victory. With the help of AUS all stars: Jake Thomas (DT), Adrian Saturley (DE), Tom Labenski (LB), Cameron Wade (DB), and Wade Conrad (G) they have managed to grind out games. This team on paper is not one to be concerned with but come game day they manage to show up and fight it out.

This Saturday the Loney Bowl will be a tough fought matchup between the Huskies and the Axe Men. The Huskies fire power on offence and defence will be on display against a weaker Acadia team. If Micah Brown can control the run game and not turn the ball over, the Huskies will roll to a victory. Acadia will need to come out with a strong front seven to stop the run making Micah Brown beat them with his arm. The Huskies overall power will be too much for the gritty Acadia Axe Men. Look for this game to be a blow out with the Huskies dominating the Offense, Defence and Special teams. The Huskies have too many offensive weapons and a strong defence which will be too much for the Axe Men.

Prediction: St. Mary’s 38 Acadia 13

Armaan Ahluwalia is a writer with the Dalhousie Gazette. Visit his blog www.1inthestands.wordpress.com and follow him on twitter @therealbrindian.

Marauders Gameday; Metros Welcome the Champs on Haligonia

Alex Newman leads the MJL with a 2.09 Goals Against Average (photo credit: Michael Fines)

After a red hot start in September which saw them win their first five games and dominate the scoring leader’s category, the Metro Marauders have struggled mightily in October and early November, posting a record of 5-8-2 in their last 15 games.

The Metros hope to get a big confidence boost today with win at the Dartmouth Sportsplex vs. the Meek Division leading Woodstock Slammers.

It won’t be easy. The Slammers are the defending MHL champs and will enter the ‘plex today with a lot of swagger, having 15 of their first 18 games this season.

This Sunday afternoon tilt begins at 1:00 and will be shown on www.live.haligonia.ca! Haligonia Sports’ Bill McLean and Dave Green of TZone Vibration Therapy will have the call from the Sportsplex.

Meet the Woodstock Slammers (http://www.slammershockey.ca/)


2010/11 Record: 15-2-0-1, 31 points, good for first place in the Meek Division. The Slammers beat Metro 3-1 in Woodstock on September 22nd in the first meeting between these teams.

Head Coach: Jason Tatarnic

Players to Watch

#27 Alex Beaton: The Halifax native is averaging over 2 points a game and has 35 points on the season.
#26 Andrew Langan: The diminutive center has 29 points this season.

#3 Doug Jessey: High scoring defenseman has 17 points this season.

Interesting Factoids: The Slammers are ranked 4th in CJHL Top 20 Rankings. They will be without the services of high scoring forward Nick Huard who is out west playing with Canada East at the Junior A Challenge.

Marauders Notes

Wayne Bedecki and Justin Belanger lead the team in scoring with 23 points each but their production has dropped off considerably. The duo were battling for the league lead through September but are now well outside the top 10…..Dylan King is the team’s leading scoring defenseman with 21 points (19 assists)……Alex Newman leads the MJL in goaltending with a sparkling 2.09 Goals Against Average. Newman has split time with Stefan Dumaresque who has a GAA of 4.04…….The Marauders enter the game in second place in the Bent Division with a record of 10-8-1-1, good for 22 points. The Weeks Crushers are in first with 24 points…..the Marauders website is up and running. Go to www.metromarauders.com. Head Coach Troy Ryan will not be behind the bench today, he is Penticton, B.C. coaching the Canada East Team at the Junior A challenge.

Picks To Click: Bill: Stuart Lenehan; Dave: Andrew Wigginton.

Game time from the Sportsplex is 1:00. Catch all the action on www.live.haligonia.ca!

Follow us on twitter @haligoniasports, email us at sports@haligonia.ca. Check us out on facebook, search word Haligonia Sports.

Huskies Back in the AUS Championships; Tough Road Awaits Jhonattan Cordoba and SMU

Second Team AUS Keeper Adam Miller and the Huskies are primed for a championship run this weekend in Moncton.

This season has been far better for the Huskies than last. The Huskies have posted a record of 8-2-3. That record was enough to earn them 2nd place in the AUS. The AUS playoffs are set up so that the top 6 teams make it into the next round. The top 2 teams, which this season are St. Fx and SMU receive a bye into the next round.

The Huskies have a solid team this year as they have managed to score 28 goals. This is mainly due to the emergence of Jhonattan Cordoba.

Cordoba has managed to net 9 goals this year all being crucial in their wins. His elusive speed makes it difficult for defenders to mark him, and his consistent play makes him a nomination for the AUS player of the year.

They also have managed to get other players to step up and score, a major problem last year as they had only one main scorer. This season Elvir Gigolaj (6), Shawn Kodejs (4), Peter Garonis(2), Shane Rajaraman(2), Nils Webber(2), and Ian Coke(2) have all managed to score.

The emergence of second team AUS All Star Adam Miller has given a lot of security for the Huskies on the back end. Miller only gave up 9 goals in 13 games this season.

There are a few players who have been consistent performers as the starting line-up game in and game has been remarkably steady. 10 players have played or started in 10 of the games this season, and 5 of those players have played and started every game. That kind of consistency in the line-up has been one of the keys to the success of the team.

Based on how quarter final Friday in Moncton plays out, the Huskies could possibly face Dalhousie, Cape Breton, or UNB. More than likey, it will be the third seeded Tigers.

This year Dal has played SMU twice and both games were very different. In their first encounter at Huskies stadium, the Huskies beat the Tigers down. The score was 6-1 for the Huskies. Cordoba had picked apart the Dal defence as they were not ready for his skill and speed. A very shaky Dal defence with injuries did not help, and their lack of ability to shut down a faster Huskies team showed.

The second meeting between the teams was a more gritty game. The Tigers took the rematch 2-0. Dalhousie came out with a plan to shut down Cordoba as Nathan Rodgers shadowed the elusive striker all night and did a good job. SMU and Cordoba were held off the score sheet and ended up losing the game. Dal just used Ben Ur and the wind in the second half to just keep pounding the ball deep and it finally opened up.

If they are to play again for a 3rd time, it is sure to be an excellent game as it will be for all the marbles. SMU is undefeated in the last 5 games going (3-0-2). Dalhousie is undefeated in the last 5 games as well (3-0-2). This Dal team in the last 9 games has gone (5-1-3) with their only loss coming against long throwins against St. Fx. With Dal finding its stride now and Tyler Lewars on the score sheet this could be a tough match.

SMU will have to rely on Cordoba to take a lot of pressure and open up other areas on the field for other players. Dal did lose Nathan Rodgers to injury and it will be interesting to see how they manage without him. I think that this game will go to extra time as both teams have the ability to score and defend very well.

If the Huskies do beat the Tigers they will more than likely play Cape Breton or St. Fx. If they play either of these teams they will be in for a very tough game as both of these teams have given SMU a tough time this year.

Regardless of whether it's vs. the Tigers, Capers, or X-Men, the road to AUS Championship glory will be difficult this weekend in Moncton for the Huskies.

Armaan Ahluwalia is a journalism student at Dalhousie and a writer with the Dal Gazette. Follow Armaan on twitter @therealbrindian and check out his blog, www.1inthestands.wordpress.com.

Huskies on Haligonia; Nationally Ranked Acadia, Reloaded Huskies Tip Off the AUS Regular Season

Justine Colley averaged 21 points per game in her rookie season for the Huskies

After coming one game away from a conference championship in 2009, Scott Munro’s Saint Mary’s Huskies are reloaded and ready for another potential run at glory.

Fans and AUS basketball pundits will get an idea just how good this Huskies team is on Thursday night, when they play host to the nationally ranked Acadia Axewomen at the Tower on www.live.haligonia.ca.

Gone is five year starter Kelsey Daley, replaced by former AUS all star and UPEI Panther, Susanne Canvin. Graduated is the ever solid Laure Pitfield, but on campus is three time AUS champion Maegan Seaward, formerly of the Memorial Seahawks.

Super sophomore Justine Colley of North Preston is back after one of the greatest rookie seasons in AUS women’s basketball history. Colley teamed up with Daley to form the conference’s most exciting backcourt and nearly led the Huskies to an AUS championship.

The only question around the Tower is this; what does Colley do for an encore?

In a conference that has become one of the best in the country, the Huskies will need all the Colley they can possibly get if they are to steal a banner from the grips of traditional powers Cape Breton, Memorial, and Dalhousie, and rejuvenated programs like Saint Francis Xavier and the Axewomen.

Meet the Acadia Axewomen

2009/10 Record: 7-13, 22 points. Finished in sixth place and lost 64-63 to SMU in quarter finals.
Head Coach- Bev Greenlaw, 3rd season.
Key Losses: Alise Brown; Keisha Brown. One of the major storylines last year in the AUS was this sister combo taking Wolfville by storm, coming one point shy of leading the Axewomen to their first AUS semi final seemingly in a generation. Alise graduated, Keisha transferred to Dalhousie.
Key Additions: #9 Kristy Moore; #10 Ariel Smith. Rookies have been impressive in pre-season.

Players to Watch
#12 Emma Duinker- Averaged 15 ppg in pre-season
#11 Abby Duinker- Averaged 10 ppg and 7 rpg in pre-season
#7 Stephanie Chapman- Water bug point guard averaged 9 ppg in pre-season and is a feisty defender

Interesting Factoids: Coming in at number 10, the Axewomen are one of three AUS teams in the CIS top ten for November 2nd. UNB is ranked fifth and Cape Breton ninth. Acadia has not won an AUS championship since 1952.

Huskies Notes

The Huskies lost their last five games in preseason play. SMU was without the services of several year players….Scott Munro is entering his third year as Head Coach…..in 2009 Justine Colley was the biggest recruit for the Huskies since Alise Brown and she did not disappoint. Colley averaged 21 ppg during the regular season and 25 ppg at the AUS championships, including a 38 point outburst vs. Memorial…. former AUS all star Susanne Canvin is the Huskies headline recruit this year. Canvin averaged 15 ppg in her last two seasons at UPEI…Fifth year senior Maegan Seaward brings a great deal of pedigree to the Huskies. Seaward won three AUS championships at Memorial University and averaged 10 ppg her last two seasons….the Huskies have not won an AUS championship since 1976.….the Huskies lost to the Cape Breton Capers 69-60 in last year’s championship game.….Kelsey Daley’s sister, Robbi, is back for her second season. Daley averaged nearly 7 ppg in her rookie campaign….workhorse Lia Milito has graduated. Milito was a key defender in the post last season for the Huskies and was known for her scrappy, physical play.

Game time from the Tower is Thursday at 6:00 and can be seen on www.live.haligonia.ca. Mavs Gillis and Bill McLean will have the call.

Questions or comments? Email us at sports@haligonia.ca. Follow us on twitter @haligoniasports.

Huskies on Haligonia; The Haywood Era Begins vs.Acadia

With Mark McLaughlin and Ike Ichegbu gone, Joey Haywood will be the focal point of the Huskies in 2010/11.

by Jared Hochman

The Saint Mary’s Huskies kick off the AUS 2010-11 men’s basketball season Thursday night when they host the Acadia Axemen at 8:00 p.m. Catch the live webcast with Mavs Gillis and Bill McLean on the call at http://www.live.haligonia.ca/.

Head coach Ross Quackenbush will look to build upon a moderately successful season last year, where the Huskies went 14-6, good for third in the Atlantic University Sport conference behind powerhouses Cape Breton and St. Francis Xavier.

By virtue of a controversial foul call by Joey Haywood on Christian Upshaw, they bowed out in the semi-finals of the AUS tournament last season, losing a nail-biter 79-78 to the X-Men.

Saint Mary’s will be missing a few key pieces as they try to topple their Nova Scotia rivals this season, as two of their three leading scorers from last year, All-Conference selection Mark McLaughlin and Ikeobi Uchegbu, are no longer with the squad.

The team also lost veterans Ryan deWinter and Mike Poole, but perhaps the most important piece of last year’s puzzle still remains in Joey Haywood, who was the leading scorer in the AUS at 23.5 points per game.

The fourth-year guard was also an All-Conference selection and a second team All-CIS selection.

He will joined by an array of imports, including three players from South of the Border to bolster the depleted front line.

New to the Huskies this year are their Maryland contingent, 6-foot-5 Torey Fassett and 6-foot-8 Korey Webb from Howard Community College in Baltimore, as well as 6-foot-5 freshman Antonio Myles. The team also added fourth-year transfer Jerome Smith, a guard who averaged just below 14 points per game last season with the OCAA’s Mohawk College.

No matter who is on the floor for the Huskies, perhaps the biggest improvement the team needs to make is to get to the free-throw line more often. They finished third in scoring and fourth in scoring defence, but they could not gain any advantage from the easy points.

They led the AUS by shooting 72 per cent as a team from the charity stripe, but only made 217 free throws last season, second-worst in the conference and sixth-worst in all of the CIS. Look for the Huskies to take advantage of their American imports in the frontcourt and have

Haywood drive more to the lane and draw fouls.

Saint Mary’s path to the CIS Final 8 begins with the Axemen, who finished last season in fifth place with a 9-11 record. Acadia made its living last season on the glass, finishing first in the conference in rebounding margin.

They’ll need to continue dominating the glass, as leading scorers from last year Casey Fox (transferred to Dalhousie), and Alexander Traikov is gone. The second team all-Conference centre Traikov was also the team’s leading rebounder, so the rest of the squad, including sophomore Owen Klassen and junior Justin Boutilier, will look to clean the glass.

Sophmore Anthony Sears will look to carry the scoring load, building upon his 13.7 average last year.

Saint Mary’s swept both games last season by a combined total of 10 points.

Tip time from the Tower is 8:00 on http://www.live.haligonia.ca/.

Jared Hochman is a graduate of the University of King’s College Journalism program who lives in Halifax. You can follow him on twitter @JaredLHochman.

Haligonia Sports Athlete Profile: Jeanette Huck

Huck is a 2009 First Team AUS All Star and Captain of the Tigers

by Armaan Ahluwalia

She is a fearless defender and can do anything when called upon. Jeanette Huck, the captain of the Dal Womens Soccer team, is one great player and continues to get better. In her final year of CIS elgibility she is having an MVP caliber season. She plays n the backfield but can be found anywhere around the field taking control.

Current Team: Dal women’s soccer
Height: 5’6
Date of Birth: Dec 4, 87
Where you are from: Hatchet Lake, NS
What are you taking at Dal: Commerce – major in Finance
Where you played Soccer Before: NS senior women’s league- Dunbrack
Favourite Player: Zinedine Zidane
Favourite Team: Manchester
Player you model your game after: Zidane
How old were you when you started playing: 5
Why Soccer: I played every sport growing up, but soccer took me to the highest level of competition.
Pre Game Rituals: Listen to music
Whats the most listened song on your IPod: Travelling soldier-Dixie Chicks
Best Player in the World: Cristiano Ronaldo
Hobbies: Snowboarding, Running, Shopping
Best Skill: 1v1 defending
Area of your game that needs work: Winning balls in the air
Favourite Coach and why: Jack Hutchinson. great coach and has fun practices
What are your goals Short and Long term: I want to win an AUS championship this year, and medal at nationals. In the long run I want to become a police officer and make a lot of money through investing.
What makes the AUS so tough: there are so many good teams so anything can happen during the AUS playoffs. The season is also very short, so it is hard on the body.
What challenges arise from being the Captain: Some times it is difficult to get everyone on the same page and focused. There is also more pressure to perform well.
Favourite Movie: the hangover and life as a house
Role Model: my sisters Leanne and Tonya
Goals for the year: to win AUS and medal at nationals
Most famous person in your cell phone: Devin Norris- Halifax’s Favorite Rainman
One Crazy thing about you: I have been to 15 countries
Favourite Food: steak and mashed potatoes
How is it being a varsity Athlete at Dal: so AWESOME! varsity nights are the best nights ever at the Grawood.
Dream Vacation Destination: Thailand and New Zealand
In your free time you are: sleeping, eating, or at the library.
IPhone or Blackberry: neither ….unbreakable LG phone…

Armaan Ahluwalia writes for the Dal Gazette. Follow him on twitter @haligoniasports and check out his blog, www.1inthestands.wordpress.com.

Order Restored in AUS as the Huskies are Back on Top

Thankfully for AUS football, the Huskies are back on top and looking like a national contender. (photo credit: Joe Chrvala)

by Steve Betts

As we approach another meaningless semi final weekend in the AUS football conference between two teams battling for a chance to get soundly beaten by the Saint Mary's Huskies in the Loney Bowl; fans, pundits, and enthusiasts can breathe a sigh of relief.

The Huskies are back.

Why should any maritime football fan outside of Halifax be glad the Huskies have firmly established themselves as the best team in the AUS?

The reason is about the future. The league is in trouble. The QUFC is sure to bolt when the current interlock agreement ends. There is no guarantee that UNB, Dalhousie, or Moncton will join the conference for some much needed expansion, and the quality of play in the conference seems to be getting lower each year.

The conference may be in the early stages of survival mode, and a good showing at the CIS semi finals would go a long way in getting back on the long road to respectability.

Bearing this in mind, SMU is Atlantic Canada's best and only chance to compete with any Canwest team later this month at the Mitchell Bowl.

Acadia does not have the horses to win a big game vs. a national powerhouse like Blake Nill's Calgary Dinos.

Mount Allison has one of the best players in Canada in Gary Ross, and the conferences best quarterback in Jake Hotchkiss, but a lack of experience and enough good players would lead to a massacre in Saskatoon versus the mighty Saskatchewan Huskies.

Admit it, this time last month when the Huskies were 0-3....you were scared.

The Mounties vs. Calgary? Acadia vs. Saskatchewan? Neither match up would have been pretty for AUS fans.

Critics across the country are watching us and thinking were not very good, and they may be right. But a confident, healthy, and rejuvinated Huskies team may just travel out to the Prairies and give the Canwest champion a fight.

Led by Steve Sumarah, (who after week 3, we all seemed to forget was the 2009 CIS Coach of the Year), the Huskies have the experience, the talent, the character, the resolve and depending on how the next three weeks go, the future of Atlantic Canadian university football respect in their hands.

Steve Betts is the on field MC of Saint Mary's Huskies football and the colour commentator of Dalhousie Tigers hockey on ssncanada. Follow Steve on twitter, @bettszee.

Tigers Soccer Teams Looking for Redemption at AUS Championships

Jeanette Huck hopes to lead her Tigers to an AUS Championship this weekend in Wolfville.
(photo credit: Nick Pearce)





by Bill McLean


The Men’s and Women’s Soccer teams at Dalhousie are off to the AUS championships this weekend, and just like last November, the expectations of Tigers Nation are high.

The women will be the number two seed at their tourney in Acadia and enjoy a well deserved first round bye, while the men will be seeded third in Moncton and have to contend with the plucky Aigles Bleus in what should be a high energy affair in front of a raucous crowd.



Both Tigers teams are coming off bitterly disappointing conclusions to their 2009 seasons. Each were heavily favored to play in the AUS championship game, and each came up one game short on the same cold, bitter weekend in early November.



Jack Hutchinson’s Tigers suffered their first loss of the year in falling to the Saint Francis Xavier X-Women on a frigid Saturday in St.John’s, while Pat Nearing’s men’s team lost a grueling 4-3 thriller to the UPEI Panthers at Wickwire Field.



Jeannette Huck and her teammates will once again travel to an AUS championship with a banner in their sights, but this time it’ll just be an hour down the road to Wolfville.



If the Tigers can make good in Saturday’s semi final, likely vs. the surging Cape Breton Capers, they can book their ticket to the CIS championships in PEI, and play an AUS Championship final vs. the Panthers.



Ross Hagen and the men face a far more daunting task; entering the tourney as the third seed and playing sixth seeded Moncton in the opening round. Le Aigles Bleus were seeded sixth in the 2009 championships at Dalhousie and quickly became the darlings of the tournament after knocking off the UNB Varsity Reds in the opening round and nearly beating the eventual champion Cape Breton Capers in the semi finals.



Moncton no longer has dynamo midfielder Olivier Babineau, but still has a spirited, attacking team that should be a handful for the Tigers, who have struggled at times this year with teams that aggressively try to control the tempo.



If the Tigers are able to tame Le Aigles Bleus, they will then have to contend with the Saint Mary’s Huskies, featuring the electrifying Jhonnatan Cordoba in the semi final.



Should they manage to frustrate Cordoba and beat the Huskies, they would then have to play either St. FX, the number one ranked team in the country, or the ever dangerous defending champion Capers.



No easy task.



Only one team in the AUS men’s conference is eligible for nationals this year, so the road ahead for the Tigers is difficult to say the least.



Like the women’s team, they definitely have momentum on their side. After a sluggish September which concluded with a 6-1 whipping at the hands of Huskies, the men’s team posted a record of 5-1-3 in their last nine games.



The Lady Tigers were remarkably consistent all season, losing only to the regular season champion UPEI Panthers in October and the Memorial Seahawks on the last day of the season in a game that had no relevance in the final standings.



Hagan and Huck are in serious contention to be AUS MVP’s of their respective conferences, and each team has stellar goalkeeping in Taryn McKenna and Ben Ur. Finally, both teams have a bevy of talent, youth, and experience.



This has been the strikingly similar story of these two teams this past calendar year. They are tied together by feats of incredible achievement, moments of excruciating disappointment, and strangely bizarre coincidence.



On Sunday, November 7th, in Moncton, New Brunswick and Wolfville, Nova Scotia, Tigers fans are hopeful that both programs will be coincidentally raising AUS Championship banners.



Bill McLean is the voice of the Dalhousie Tigers on ssncanada.ca. Follow us on twitter @haligoniasports, and listen to Bill McLean Sports Show every Tuesday morning at 10:30 on ckdu.ca, 88.1 FM in Halifax.