X-Women best team of 2012

The St. F.X. women’s rugby team went unbeaten on the season at 13-0 and outscored its opposition by an incredible 951-13 count.
 
The X-Women capped the season off by winning the CIS crown at home in Antigonish, defeating defending champion Guelph 37-0 in the title game before a crowd of about 5,000 fans at Oland Stadium.
 
Yes, that’s right, 5,000 fans to watch a CIS rugby game in Nova Scotia.
 
The X-Women were in a class of their own as the best team in Nova Scotia sports in 2012.
 
Here’s more of the year’s best and worst:
 
• Most mysterious group: The Canadian Hockey League Players Association, which focused much of its union activity on Nova Scotia teams and players, was first a mystery and then later was discovered to be lacking credibility. Yet for a while, the group caused considerable national debate and reaction. The CHLPA may not have been the genuine article, but hopefully there was recognition that the player issues brought up for discussion remain worthy of study and debate.
 
• Best emerging stars: I’ve never seen any Nova Scotia team with so many emerging star players as the Halifax Mooseheads. With Team Canada members Nathan MacKinnon and Jonathan Drouin talked about as candidates to go in the highest positions for the next NHL draft, and Zachary Fucale pegged as one of the top goalies, it’s a rare wealth of star talent.
 
• Most frustrating plan: The Halifax Rainmen have used the revolving-door building strategy during the first half of the present NBL of Canada season. It’s been a continuous line of players coming to and going from Halifax. The result, weekly changes in the lineup, frustrates the fan base.
 
• Biggest losses: We lose too many outstanding people in Nova Scotia sports every year. This was an especially difficult one for boxing, a sport that’s suffering through tough times locally despite a glorious past. Former champion Ralph Hollett, his trainer Tom McCluskey, promoter Sonny MacPhee, amateur great Billy Downey and broadcaster-sportswriter Pat Connolly, who I always believed did his best work from ringside, were among the many taken far too early during the past year.
 
• Most confusing case: The Dalhousie men’s hockey saga became more confusing in 2012. The Tigers started the year with coach Pete Belliveau having mysteriously relinquished his coaching role to become team manager. Then Dal let Belliveau go in October as the school was preparing a disclosure to the CIS. The results of a CIS investigation into the team are expected to come out in January. Whatever the investigation shows, 2012 was simply another bad year for a Dal hockey program that has been down for far too long.
 
• Best attitude: The questionable, and I believe wrong, Olympic Games boxing decision that cost Custio Clayton at least a bronze medal was handled with nothing but class by Clayton and his camp. It would have been so easy to whine about being ripped off, but Clayton took the high road in his public comments throughout the remainder of the year.
 
• Most scrutinized league: It had to be the AUS football conference, because of a calibre of play that fell below the national standard. The AUS teams were dominated again by Quebec squads in the interlocking schedule, and AUS champion Acadia was easily slapped aside in the national semifinal bowl game.
 
• Classiest exit: After a successful 23-season run as coach of the Saint Mary’s men’s basketball Huskies, Ross Quackenbush quietly retired after the 2011-12 season. In typical Quackenbush style, he didn’t want a huge, sentimental farewell. That’s the attitude that helped make him a favourite among fans and media for more than two decades.

Chris Cochrane is a sports columnist with The Chronicle Herald and the author of Inside the Game.