Premier Hockey League Round 4
Round 4 of the Premier Hockey League brought an action-packed Saturday, with matches unfolding across Whangārei and Christchurch on 22nd November.
The opening match saw the Mavericks take on hosts the Tridents in a tightly contested women’s clash. Mavericks goalkeeper Grace O’Hanlon, newly named FIH Goalkeeper of the Year and the first New Zealander to earn the honour, showed her class early, denying the Tridents throughout a busy first half. By halftime, the Tridents had produced 10 scoring chances to the Mavericks’ three, but it was standout Ruby Baker who broke the deadlock with a mid-air reverse-stick finish for 1–0 to the Mavericks. The Tridents hit back through a Casey Crowley penalty stroke before the match headed to a shootout. Sophie Hildesley struck first for the Tridents, but it was the Mavericks’ international import duo, Pahlia Arnold and Alessa Volkert, who sealed the 2–1 shootout victory.
Next up, the Alpiners took on the Falcons women in Christchurch, in what was expected to be a close match with both teams sitting high on the points table. With the Women’s Junior World Cup set to take place in Chile from December 1st, the Falcons chose to withhold five of their key players from Saturday’s match. The Alpiners, on the other hand, opted to field their full squad, which had a positive impact on the game’s outcome. Tessa Reid opened the scoring six minutes into the first quarter with a sweep off a penalty corner. A minute later, Jessica Kelly responded with a reverse shot into the bottom right corner, equalising for the Falcons. In the first minute of the second quarter, Reid struck again from a stroke, putting the Alpiners ahead 2–1. Just before halftime, Annabelle Schneideman picked up a rebound off the goalie during a penalty corner, extending the Alpiners’ lead to 3–1. The second half saw no further goals, meaning the Alpiners claimed the win.
Back in Whangārei, the Mavericks and Tridents men delivered a superb display of talent. Within the opening two minutes, Aiden Fraser earned a penalty stroke and converted, giving the Tridents a 2–0 lead. The Mavericks immediately answered through a penalty corner finished by Luke Aldred, and moments later Brad Coxon caught the Tridents’ keeper off guard, followed by a conversion to send the Mavericks into the first break ahead 3–2. In the second quarter, Robbie Capizzi levelled the match, finishing off a perfectly executed penalty corner. But Mavericks captain Nic Woods responded with his first PHL goal to make it 4–3 at halftime. In the final spell, the Mavericks weren’t done yet, coming out strong as Owen Brown scored four goals to secure a dominant 8–3 victory.
The closing match of Round 4 between the Alpiners and Falcons men’s teams in Christchurch served as the headline fixture of the day, with both sides missing key players and seasoned Black Sticks away for the Azlan Shah Cup, particularly the Alpiners, who had 12 players missing. The first quarter saw both teams apply equal aggression and pressure, but it wasn’t until the final minute that Sam Lints was left wide open and fired one into the top corner. He calmly followed by converting, extending the Alpiners’ lead to 2–0. In the second quarter, the Falcons came out with determination, as former Black Stick Jacob Smith scored his first goal of the Premier Hockey League season. Smith received a pass into the circle and, with a solid push, sent the ball into the right corner of the goal. At the 30-minute mark, Javahn Jones picked up a rebound and swept it through the keeper’s legs, levelling the match at 2–2 before halftime. The game ended in a shootout, where the Alpiners secured a 3–1 win, a strong outcome for a young side with six debutants in the Premier Hockey League this year stepping up to the plate.