Dalhousie Tigers 0-2 Montreal Carabins

Yes, yes, you read correctly; our beloved Tigers are out. And in case you missed it earlier, the women are now not being done live today--or at least, not fully, since their game has been moved to an alternate field without Internet access. Sadly, we aren't in Langley, B.C.--though we are probably drier on account of that.

So how did the men lose, exactly?

Well. despite a numerical advantage on the pitch for 30 minutes, Dal gave up two late goals. The first half was scoreless-- with 'keeper Ben Ur in goal for the Tigers. After a tremendous AUS final he came out flying again, and Dal didn't crack until the 72nd minute, when Nawar Hanna was able to finish off a rebound near the goal.

Montreal had to do their hardest work on ten men, though. Wandrille Lefevre was sent off on a straight red card for a retaliatory foul, according to the summary from Carleton University (the hosts, which is where I'm getting my info right now). 7 minutes later Hanna scored.

It never looked like Dal would win-they were only able to get three shots--three!--at Montreal. Ur was forced to make 13 saves.

Jean-Jacques Seba scored late to add some insurance for Montreal. His strike from 18 yards found the top corner.

So what does this mean, exactly?

Last night, I picked the Tigers as having as good a chance as anyone of going through in what is a highly skilled but largely even bunch of teams. It would seem I was wrong.

The Tigers had a great season--which no one expected, since they finished abysmally last year. They impressed in Sackville, New Brunswick to earn their spot at Nationals. Perhaps they were underdogs, but it still remains hard to pick one favourite team in this group.

Without seeing the video (here's hoping they'll post it), it's hard to say how badly they were outclassed by the bigger Université de Montreal, but a 13-3 shot count isn't good news any day. In the end, they may simply been shut down; forced to fall back on Ur, who couldn't quite hold everything out.

At the very least, they took Lefevre with them. Retaliation has to be amongst the stupidest ways to earn a straight red--up there with dissent. He'll miss at least the semis and is also subject to a disciplinary review. If it doesn't go his way, he could also be suspended for the finals, should Montreal make it.

I don't want to go grasping at false positives here--getting knocked out of a tournament cannot and should not be spun off as a bright spot or an accomplishment. But this is a team one year removed from a one-win season. They've exceeded expectations. Ur is only a second-year player. Much of their offense is young as well. Kerry Weymann looks set to replace John Ballantyne as a rock at defense.

This team has the parts it needs--it WAS in the running. But someone had to lose. There's hope yet, though, that the rather old looking sign in Wickwire field--the one that lists Dal's past championship victories--could have a CIS title added to it not too far off.